Time For Mark Vientos to Give Mets a Boost

The New York Mets offense needs a little extra boost after a rough homestand. In their last six games, the team went 1-5 and scored a total of 11 runs. The icing on the cake came on Tuesday afternoon when the offense had four hits (two by Starling Marte) as they were at the hands of a complete game shutout by Aaron Nola. This month, the team has the lowest OPS in the National League (.619), 44 runs scored (fourth-lowest) and the third-lowest batting average (.217).

So, now has to be the time for Mark Vientos to get an extended look in the big leagues. The corner infielder will be activated before Wednesday’s game. While Vientos should not be expected to be the team’s savior by any means, any positive contribution he can give the offense at this point would be a boost.

In 31 games at Triple-A Syracuse, Vientos has a slash line of .284/.376/.500 with six home runs and 30 RBIs. During the month of May, he had driven in a run in five straight games and had a hit in six of the last seven games he appeared in. While his at-bats are not the close sample size he had in 61 Triple-A games last year, he has shown a willingness to take more pitches this year, with an average of 4.12 pitches per plate appearance (3.81 last year).

Mark Vientos. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Even though this move leaves the Mets without a backup second baseman behind Jeff McNeil, with Joey Wendle reportedly designated for assignment, the fact is that offense is more important for the Mets right now. Plus, it helps the 24-year-old hit the ball well against left-handers this year in the minors (.360/.429/.840, 3 home runs, 12 RBIs, 1.269 OPS in 25 at-bats).

If anything, having Vientos up will give him a chance to provide some competition for Brett Baty. Baty has not had a great start to the season and has really struggled over the last couple of weeks. He is 9-for-47 (.191/.240/.360) with a pair of home runs, four RBIs, and 19 strikeouts, and he did not record a single hit during the current homestand. His last game in which he recorded an extra-base hit came on May 3 against the Rays when he hit those aforementioned home runs.

Either way, the Mets need to find out what they have in Vientos. Is he a player who can be a consistent major league contributor, or will he be the player he was his first two years in the big leagues, when he had 83 strikeouts in 81 games and a slugging percentage of just .368?

His last call-up was brief due to Starling Marte going on the bereavement list, but he made the most of it with the walk-off, two-run home run against the Cardinals on April 28.

Yes, it isn’t Memorial Day, so it’s early to worry about where the Mets are going. At the same time, calling Vientos up now and giving him an extended chance in some way can benefit either short-term with a spark while the veterans break out of their slumps or long-term where he can play his way into more playing time or the team figures out he isn’t a part of their future plans.

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