Mark Vientos’ Resurgence Lengthening Mets’ Lineup

For most of this season, batting Mark Vientos cleanup would have been viewed as a liability. It might have even elicited eye rolls from Mets fans.

The Vientos of last year didn’t show up for the better part of four months.

But over the last month-plus, Vientos has transformed back into that dynamic presence in the lineup. He continued that Friday night with a 2-for-4, two-RBI performance, hitting his 16th home run in the process. He did it out of the cleanup spot — a place he suddenly belongs.

And now, with the return of Francisco Alvarez, the Mets’ overall lineup looks deeper. Alvarez, with his season OPS approaching .800, batted eighth on Friday. Jeff McNeil, who’s been one of the Mets’ most consistent hitters, batted seventh.

But the depth hinges on a hot Vientos batting cleanup. At times this season, the Mets have had to get creative and settle for underwhelming options in the middle of the order. Sometimes that was a slumping Vientos, and sometimes it was a slumping Brandon Nimmo. Even Juan Soto got off to a slow start. Pete Alonso has been streaky.

But when one steps back and takes a look at the Mets’ lineup here in September, it’s hard to find many overall weak spots. The only sore point in the lineup Friday was the nine-hole, with Luisangel Acuña and his sub-.600 OPS. That was with Brett Baty on the bench, though. Had Baty been in the lineup instead of Acuña, his .737 OPS actually would have been the lowest of any of the starters.

When your “worst” hitter has a .737 OPS, that’s a good sign. It means the lineup is balanced and deep.

Vientos had an 11-game hitting streak that started in late July and ended in early August. He went on to post a .988 OPS in August. After Friday, he’s hit safely in three straight games.

His season OBP is finally approaching .300. His OPS sits at .739 — still a ways from last year’s mark, but no longer in the trenches. The version of Vientos the Mets have had since late July is essentially the one they had last year, the one who hit .266/.322/.516 over 111 games.

Vientos ignited the scoring in a three-run first inning that proved monumental for the Mets on Friday. His first hit was a stroke of luck, reaching on a soft ground ball to third on a ball that was well out of the strike zone. But it got him an RBI. Two innings later, he led off with a 427-foot shot to right-center to extend the Mets’ lead to 4-0. It was another pitch slightly off the outer edge.

SWAGGY!

He crushed this one 427 feet for his 16th homer of the season!
pic.twitter.com/nbyP4pb2Wf

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) September 5, 2025

“I think that’s my A-plus swing,” Vientos told reporters after the game. “Seeing a fastball and driving it the other way, it feels good. Especially when I do it consistently. That was probably the location I was looking for the fastball. And I didn’t miss it.”

If it weren’t for Vientos’ early spark, Edwin Díaz‘s ninth-inning adventure likely would have never happened.

Last year, Vientos hit 27 home runs in 111 games. He now has 16 in 101 games, so he has a chance to finish with 20 in slightly more games. It’s been a well-documented disappointing year for Vientos, but he’s heating up at exactly the right time. He’s had flashes of breaking out earlier in the season, but he’s never really sustained a hot stretch until recent weeks.

The Mets have their Vientos back. So, in a sense, they have their lineup back. And it’ll be huge heading into the rapidly approaching postseason.

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