Vientos likely heading to IL after suffering right hand fracture on HBP

NEW YORK -- Mark Vientos’ disappointing season took another downturn on Thursday, when he fractured a bone in his right hand during the Mets’ 7-3 win over the Royals at Citi Field.

Clearly in pain upon being struck on the right hand by a 92.2 mph Michael Wacha sinker, Vientos initially stayed in the game after Wacha hit him in the bottom of the second inning, but he did not go back out on defense for the third. Vientos will go on the injured list before Friday’s series opener against the Red Sox.

Immediately following Thursday’s game, Mets trainers were still evaluating Vientos. Interim manager Andy Green said he did not yet know if Vientos would require surgery.

Either way, broken bones tend to take around six weeks to heal fully. If Vientos fractured his hamate, which is in the area that he was hit, he would likely need surgery requiring a 4-6 week recovery. Earlier this year, when Francisco Lindor underwent surgery to repair a fractured left hamate, he needed almost exactly six weeks to return.

“I’m just disappointed for what he’s going through right now,” Green said.

Through 73 games, Vientos was batting just .211/.256/.388 with 11 home runs, losing playing time to various teammates. He has not been able to recapture the magic of what appeared to be a breakout 2024 season. That year, Vientos produced an .838 OPS. In two seasons since, his OPS has fallen to .680.

But Vientos was still slugging .539 against left-handed pitchers, which made him a potential trade candidate for the out-of-contention Mets heading into the Aug. 3 Deadline. A significant injury such as a hand fracture could sap most if not all of his already limited trade value.

“I’m just disappointed for him today, honestly,” Green said.

Defensively, after posting some of the worst metrics in the Majors at first base, Vientos made his second start of the season at his old position of third base on Thursday. His injury later forced the Mets to slide Brett Baty over to third, while A.J. Ewing moved to second for the first time in his Major League career. Though Ewing appeared in 53 games at second base in the Minors, he has focused more on center field over the past two seasons.

That should continue even with Vientos hurt. Recently demoted infielder Ronny Mauricio is the most obvious candidate to come back up to replace Vientos, while Marcus Semien should return from a left hip flexor strain later this month or in August.

“He really, really saved us today,” Green said of Ewing, noting that he doesn’t expect the rookie to play much second base going forward. “We still see A.J. as a center fielder, who was a wonderful safety net for his teammates today.”

Over a five-year career with the Mets, Vientos has 65 homers with a .716 OPS. He is under team control for three more seasons after this one.