New York Mets No. 2 ranked prospect Brett Baty departed Tuesday’s Triple-A game with Syracuse in the fourth inning after suffering an apparent hand injury.
With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, the 23-year-old third baseman appeared to hurt his right hand while swinging at a pitch against the Rochester Red Wings. While he finished the at-bat and drew a walk after being looked at by trainers, he left the game the following inning.
Brett Baty was removed from today's Syracuse Mets game after having his hand looked at by a trainer following a swing.
He finished his at-bat, drew a walk, and then departed in the fourth inning. pic.twitter.com/MxVC3Y3UqU
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 4, 2023
The Mets are describing it as a sore thumb and he’ll undergo an MRI Wednesday, but there is an immediate concern given this is the same hand that Baty needed to have a thumb surgically repaired on, which cut his initial major-league debut short last summer.
He was enjoying a strong start to his season in Triple-A, going 6-for-15 (.400) with two home runs, five RBI, and two stolen bases.
It’s only helping to cement his status as a viable option for the Mets to pursue at some point in the form of a mid-season call-up. Starting third baseman Eduardo Escobar has struggled mightily to start the season but considering he’s due $10 million in the final year of his contract, he was always going to get first crack at the hot corner.
That decision came despite Baty batting .325 with an .885 OPS during spring training in which many speculated he was worthy of being included on the Mets’ Opening Day roster. Instead, he was optioned to Syracuse shortly before the start of the season.
This is an updating story.
For more on the Mets and Brett Baty, visit AMNY.com
