QUEENS, NY — Mark Vientos’ playing time continues to dwindle, as he was left out of the New York Mets’ starting lineup for a fourth consecutive game on Thursday night against the Atlanta Braves.
Manager Carlos Mendoza opted to go heavy on left-handers against Braves starter Bryce Elder, opting to play Brett Baty at third base and put the switch-hitting Ronny Mauricio at the DH spot.
Vientos has not only lost out on playing time to both infielders, but veteran Starling Marte’s hot bat has gotten some run at DH, as well.
“There’s a healthy competition,” Mendoza said when asked what conversations with Vientos have been like. “We got three guys for one spot, three third basemen. Or you can make a case where you have four really good players for two spots if you count the DH.”
Vientos, who is experiencing as prominent a sophomore slump as ever following a breakout 27-home-run season last year, is batting just .230 with a .345 slugging percentage, seven home runs, and 32 RBI in 82 games. But he had been showing signs of life with some consistent playing time after a demotion to Triple-A that nearly took up all of June.
In his last 21 games, he is batting .286 with a .720 OPS, one home run, and 11 RBI — a span that featured an 11-game hitting streak. Yet he has not seen the batter’s box since Aug. 9 in Milwaukee.
Vientos has shown some frustration about his lack of playing time, telling MLB.com last month that “there’s really no point” in approaching team brass about it.
“Nobody really cares, to be honest, how I feel,” he added. “But it’s the business.”
“We saw a stretch where Brett Baty didn’t play for five games, and he gets an opportunity and he’s performing,” Mendoza said. “Marte, with the way he’s swinging, the message is you have to stay ready because it happens fast.”
