Terry Collins said Lucas Duda playing first base is not an isolated occurrence on Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals. As a way to get Duda regularly in the lineup over the final three weeks of the season to further gauge what the Mets have with him, Collins said Duda should see additional action at the position.

Those starts, presumably against left-handers such as tonight's Nats starter John Lannan, will come at the expense of Ike Davis. Collins told ESPNNewYork.com that Davis will not dabble at other positions.

Duda is hitting .225 with a homer and seven RBIs in 13 games (10 starts) since returning from the minors.

"The one thing we've got to do is we've got to start seeing Lucas Duda on a daily basis," Collins said. "I think it's important at this time of year to take a look at some guys who are certainly going to have a chance to be in the middle of your lineup in the future. So we've got to see what we can get out of him."

Duda had appeared in only one other major league game at first base this season, in extra innings Sunday. He appeared in two games at first base with Triple-A Buffalo during a demotion. A natural first baseman, Duda started 37 games at the position last year, fueled by Davis suffering a season-ending ankle injury.