Mets will 'work the pieces' as Vientos returns
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NEW YORK -- The Mets' offense got a boost on Friday when infielder Mark Vientos was activated from the 10-day injured list.
Vientos missed most of June because of a right hamstring strain he suffered while running to first base against the Dodgers on June 2. After playing six rehab games for Triple-A Syracuse, Vientos said he is ready to be back in the lineup.
“Oh, man. It’s good to be back with the guys and see a bunch of faces that I miss,” Vientos said.
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Is Vientos going to be the everyday third baseman? That remains to be seen, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. It sounds like Vientos and Brett Baty will be rotating at third base. Vientos will also likely see time at designated hitter.
“The way I see it is we have to work the pieces and put everything in place. There are going to be a few spots in the lineup that are going to be rotating,” Mendoza said. “I think that’s a good problem to have, the way I see it.
“I’ve been saying this since day one -- talking about depth, how good our team is because of the quality and the quantity that we have. There will be at-bats for everyone in there. … We’ll make sure we communicate with them on a daily basis and they understand that we are here to win baseball games.”
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Before the injury occurred, Vientos was off to a slow start and had a slash line of .230/.298/.380 with six home runs and 21 RBIs. During his time on the IL, Vientos evaluated his first half and knew he wasn’t producing like he did last year when he hit a career-high 27 home runs with 71 RBIs. Vientos was at his best during the postseason when he went 18-for-55 (.327) with five homers and 14 RBIs.
“If you thought you were going to come into the league again, especially the big leagues, and think it was going to be a walk in the park, you have another thing coming,” Vientos said. “I felt like I was humbled a little bit. I appreciate that because I love this game so much and reasons like the first couple of months of the season is the reason I love it so much. It keeps me on my toes and wanting to work harder and keep getting better.”
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For Mendoza, having a healthy Vientos could mean the Mets having a deep lineup during the rest of the 2025 season.
“Mark is a big part of this team. We saw what he did for us last year. We are counting on him again,” Mendoza said. “He was a big part of our offense last year. We saw it in the playoffs. He drove the ball to all fields, gave you good at-bats. The power is real.”
Winker takes swings in cage: In full view of Mendoza and the media, Mets outfielder Jesse Winker (right oblique strain) took 26 swings in the batting cage without any problems. If things go according to plan, Winker will be the designated hitter for High-A Brooklyn starting Sunday.