The comparisons were inevitable from the time that Ruben Tejada was named the replacement for shortstop Jose Reyes. They will increase Tuesday when Reyes arrives at Citi Field to play his first game against his former team in a Marlins uniform.



If Tejada is excited, nervous or anxious about Reyes coming to town, he did not show it before the Mets played a doubleheader against San Francisco on Monday.



There really is no need for any of those feelings to exist with Tejada. Of all the reasons why the Mets should have kept Reyes at Citi Field, Tejada has eliminated the biggest ones. He can field the position and he is productive with the bat.



If the early results are any indication of what the future holds, the Mets aren't going to miss Reyes at all. They're better off without him. All that hand-wringing over whether to let him leave was wasted. The Mets can live without him. Tejada has softened that blow.



Tejada couldn't bail them out of a doubleheader disaster at Citi Field on Monday as the Mets (8-8) dropped both games to the Giants, 6-1 and 7-2. The things that have carried the Mets through the early part of the season — timely hitting and quality starting pitching — abandoned them. It merely added more intrigue to Reyes hitting town on Wednesday.



This issue will heat up this week. And it will be debated for the entire season. It will come up when Tejada slumps or when Reyes gets injured.



There is no doubt that Reyes was an effervescent presence in the Mets' clubhouse. His enthusiasm for the game was contagious. But it wasn't like there was a leadership vacuum when he left. And while the team has lost some of its "wow factor" that he provided out of the leadoff position and on the basepaths, the Mets — the twinbill aside — don't play a horrible brand of baseball.



Tejada said there isn't a noticeable difference in the clubhouse now that Reyes is gone.



"He was a great teammate. But he's not here now," Tejada said. "We have a good team here. We've been playing really good."



While both Tejada and Reyes have been playing under heightened expectations, Tejada seems to be faring better.



He got two hits and scored a run over the two games on Monday, finishing with a .263 average and .344 on-base percantage. He entered the day second in the National League in doubles and must be considered one of the team's strengths.



Reyes, meanwhile, has been laboring under the pressure that comes with a $106 million contract. He is batting .230 with a .294 on-base percentage and though he has seven extra base hits, he has committed five errors.



Though Tejada and Terry Collins started on a sour note when Tejada didn't show up early for training camp, the manager has nothing but praise for the way Tejada has taken over the shortstop position.



"I think the thing that's been best is that he hasn't tried to do more than he's able to do. He hasn't tried to live up to being Jose Reyes. He's gone out and played very good defensively. Offensively he's the same guy we saw last fall," Collins said.



Tejada has tried to be more patience at the plate, which has shown in his on-base percentage. But he said he hasn't done anything different in the field.



"It's my natural position. Last year I played second and I think I did OK at second. But I'm very happy to be playing shortstop this year," he said.



Giants center fielder Angel Pagan, who played with the Mets last season, said he had no doubt that Tejada could handle taking over for Reyes.



"He's a kid that is 22 years old, but he's very mature. He understands," Pagan said. "He will play with no pressure, I can tell you that. If he can stay healthy he's going to have a very bright career.



"I knew what he could do. He put on a few pounds and now he's hitting homers. He's building up good confidence and he's going to have a bright career. It's just a matter of the Mets giving him the chance to go out there and play every day."



Tejada said he communicates with Reyes via text two or three times a week. They talk about how they're playing. They won't be talking much this week with Reyes coming to town.



Tejada said he will embrace Reyes' return as he expects most of the Mets fans will. And then he will continue trying to play well enough to beat the Marlins and put some distance between himself and the Reyes comparisons.