The hits were not falling, so Luis Guillorme faced a possible source of his problem.

After an 0-for-12 start to his season, the Mets infielder shaved the bushy, neck-obscuring beard that had become his trademark.

There were no hits in that beard, he reasoned. He needed a new one.

In his next 28 games, Guillorme reached base in more than half his plate appearances (.506) and batted .419, elevating himself from a possible demotion to the minors in early May, when Robinson Cano was DFA’d, to an end-of-May lineup regular with a skill set that has been undervalued in previous seasons.