With Starling Marte heading to the 10-day-injured list and the recent surge of ‘Baby Mets,’ general manager Billy Eppler has decided to add more youth to the roster.
Mark Vientos is heading back to the Mets
According to Andy Martino of SNY, the Mets are calling up Vientos before their weekend series against the Boston Red Sox.
The Mets selected Vientos with the 59th pick of the 2017 MLB draft, and he quickly blossomed into one of the top prospects in their system.
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In 2022, Vientos hit .280 with 24 home runs and 72 RBIs for Triple-A Syracuse while being one of two Mets prospects selected for the All-Star Futures game.
On September 10th, the Mets called up Vientos, who struggled in his first taste of big-league action going just six for 36 with one home run and three RBIs.
The Mets sent the Florida native back down to Syracuse to start the 2023 season, and all he did was hit. In 38 games, Vientos batted .333 with 13 home runs and 37 RBIs while cutting his strikeout rate down from 28.5% in 2022 to 20.4% in 2023.
Vientos then received a call-up to the big leagues but saw limited playing time. In 16 games, the 23-year-old slashed .178/.224/.244 with one home run and five RBIs while having a 31 OPS+.
Despite his struggles, Vientos did have a signature moment. In his first game of 2023, the Florida native hit a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh off of Rays reliever Ryan Thompson to give the Mets their first two runs in their eventual 8-7 victory that launched a five-game winning streak.
When Alonso returned from his wrist injury, Vientos got sent back down, and after getting settled back into Syracuse, has excelled. In 13 July games, the 23-year-old has slashed .264/.316/.472 with eight extra-base hits and seven RBIs.
With the Red Sox expected to start the left-handed James Paxton tomorrow, Vientos will likely be featured as a pinch hitter tonight before making his return to the starting lineup tomorrow.