Vientos' role on Mets won't be 'perfectly laid path' on return from rehab
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NEW YORK -- Mets infielder Mark Vientos, on the injured list since July 10 because of a fractured right hand, is currently out on a rehab assignment and has played three games since Friday -- two with Double-A Binghamton and one with Triple-A Syracuse, through Tuesday.
In these three games, Vientos has gone 0-for-8 with a walk and five strikeouts.
When Vientos is able to return to the big league club, interim manager Andy Green said the infielder won’t be guaranteed significant playing time. Vientos is having a season he would like to forget, hitting .211 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 73 games.
To make matters worse, Vientos has also struggled with the glove. While playing first base, he is -2 in defensive runs saved in 60 games. Most of the playing time at the position lately has been going to Jared Young, who has been solid -- with a 5 in defensive runs saved.
Vientos is considered a below-average third baseman, but he has only played three games at the hot corner as the full-time position belongs to Bo Bichette.
“I was very forthright with [Vientos] when he had the rehab assignment,” Green said. “A lot of [playing time] will be dictated by how others perform and how he performs. I think there is a very bright future for him and [for him to] grab hold of it. That’s on him. When he gets back in the box, take advantage of the at-bats you do get and prove you deserve more at-bats.”
Vientos has proven he's capable of being solid in the batter’s box. In 2024, he was a vital cog in the Mets reaching the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers. That year, he was New York's everyday third baseman, slashing .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs and 71 RBIs in 111 games.
“He had all the talent he possessed in ‘24 when he was hitting close to 30 homers and didn’t start the season with the big league club,” Green said. “It is all right there. It’s on him for that to come out. We certainly want to see it come out. It’s not going to be a perfectly laid path for him, though, when he does come back.”