As Mark Vientos nears a return from his rehab assignment, the question of how the slugging right-hander fits into this version of the Mets was raised to interim manager Andy Green, and the skipper did not mince words.
“I don’t know,” Green said prior to Wednesday’s game with the Brewers. “I was very forthright with him when he started the rehab assignment that a lot of that will be dictated by how others perform and also by how he performs. Still think there’s a very bright future for him out there if he wants to grab a hold of it. That’s on him.”
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The current construction of the Mets roster doesn’t lend itself to a lot of at-bats for Vientos to start with. Even with the added roster spot on Sept. 1, the team has to use the DH spot to give time to other players, including Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez and Luis Robert Jr., as well as the eventual return of Juan Soto, who could see time as DH.
Vientos, who was placed on the IL back on July 10 with a fractured hand, has played three minor league games between Double-A and Triple-A. In that span, he’s 0-for-9 with a walk and five strikeouts.
With no remaining options, Vientos will rejoin the team, but as Green put it Wednesday, it’ll be a proving ground for the young slugger.
“When he gets back in the box, take advantage of the at-bats you do get. Prove you deserve more at-bats,” Green continued. “I think people get into different phases in their career at different points in time. He has all the talent that he possessed in ’24 when he was hitting close to 30 home runs and didn’t start the season with the big league club. It’s all right there. It’s on him for that to come out.
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“We certainly want to see it come out. It’s not going to be a perfectly laid path for him, though, when he does come back.”
Vientos had a breakout season in 2024, smashing 27 homers and driving in 71 runs across 111 games. The following season, Vientos played 121 games but only hit 17 homers and 61 RBI.
In 73 games this year, Vientos is slashing .211/.256/.388 with an OPS of .644 to go along with his 11 home runs and 35 RBI.
