The New York Mets announced shortly before Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers that struggling third baseman Mark Vientos was scratched from the lineup, the result of a new injury.
The team’s announcement brought more bad news for Vientos, who is struggling to hold his spot in the lineup. Despite a breakout season in 2024, some analysts believe Vientos will eventually hit the bench in favor of another top prospect.
Mets Cautious About Injury to Mark Vientos
The Mets initially had inserted Vientos into the lineup for Friday’s game hitting second, but announced later that he was replaced by outfielder Starling Marte.
“Mark Vientos was scratched from tonight’s game for precautionary reasons with abdomen soreness,” the team announced in a post on X.
The severity of Vientos’ injury was not yet known, and the team suffered another setback later when outfielder Brandon Nimmo was pulled from the game with a stiff neck. The Mets rallied to tie the game with three runs in the ninth inning, but could not bring home a run in three extra frames and lost 7-5 in the 12th inning.
Vientos told reporters after the game that he would test the injury again before Saturday’s game against the Dodgers.
âJust a weird pain,â Vientos said, via the New York Post. âIâm not really too worried about it. Iâll come in [Saturday] and see how it feels.â
Vientos was a breakout star in 2024, hitting 27 home runs with an .837 OPS, but has hit a second-year slump. He is hitting .232 with five home runs and a .674 OPS this season.
Brett Baty Could Take Over for Mark Vientos
Some insiders believe that Brett Baty, who initially struggled to maintain a spot in the lineup in Queens and bounced between the big club and Triple-A in Syracuse, could take Vientos’ spot in the starting lineup.
The Athletic’s Will Sammon said he believes that with the Mets’ pitching staff focusing on ground balls, Baty is a better asset to the team right now. Vientos could still have a role as the team’s designated hitter, but Baty’s stronger defense should earn him the nod over Vientos, Sammon said.
“I want to see [Baty] at third base almost all the time. He deserves it,” Sammon said, via SI.com. “He’s getting after it at third base, he’s being aggressive toward the ball, he’s not letting it bounce to him like he did a couple years ago when he first came up. He was unsure of himself at all times, he’s not that way. He’s getting that ball.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he believes Vientos can still turn it around.
âI wouldnât say [heâs] pressing, I just see it as, the same way they go through struggles at the plate, they go through it defensively, sometimes,â Mendoza said. âA couple of missed plays here and there, especially some routine plays, maybe heâs thinking about that, but I donât think heâs pressing because of the situation with Baty. Not at all. These two guys came up together. Thereâs always been a healthy competition. They root for each other. I donât see it that way.
âIf he continues to work hard, he continues to put in the effort, heâll be fine.â
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