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The New York Mets are getting some help to improve their infield play. New York is calling up top prospect Mark Vientos to the club, per NewsDay Sports. Vientos is expected to get some playing time at third base for the Mets.
The move is expected to take some pressure off of Brett Baty, who has struggled recently for New York. The third-baseman is batting poorly in recent games, with only two hits in his last 21 at-bats.
Mets’ season
The Mets are having an up and down year. The team lost the first five games of the season, only to return the favor later on in April with an impressive win streak. The team is 13-12 overall, and looking for some more consistency with its bats.
Baty is one of the keys to the Mets’ success. On the season, the third baseman is batting .256, with a homer and nine RBIs. His slugging percentage has cratered though in the last seven games, as he has only two hits in that period. He doesn’t have any home runs or runs batted in in the last seven contests. Baty left a game recently with hamstring issues, and the Mets have struggled with Baty’s bat cooling off. The team has lost five games in a row.
The team is giving Vientos an opportunity to provide some pop to the offense. Vientos is a former top prospect for the organization, who batted .211 last season for the team. He hit nine home runs and collected 22 RBIs in 65 game appearances for the Mets last year. Vientos said he’s not sure what his role will be quite yet this year.
“They haven’t said anything yet. Whatever they want me to do, I’m here for it,” Vientos said, per the New York Post.
Vientos was having a great season in triple-A baseball this year. The third baseman was swinging the bat with a .302 average for Syracuse, to go with five home runs and 22 RBIs. He hit a home run on Friday, a day before being called up to the big leagues. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza says Vientos earned his opportunity.
“The way he’s playing,” Mendoza said, per SNY. “After having a tough end of spring training, when he gets the news he’s going down, he put his head down, go down there, continue to work. All the credit to him. He’s earned it and he’s here.”
The Mets are in action Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 Eastern. It’s not clear at time of writing how much of a role Vientos will play on Saturday. Mendoza is commending the young player for staying patient after not making the opening day roster.
“He’s a professional. For a young player that comes into camp with high expectations…it’s not easy,” Mendoza added. “He was disappointed, obviously. The one thing he can control is to go out there and continue to get better, continue to work on the things you need to be working on and play hard, and he’s done that.”
Mets fans are hoping Vientos can help turn the ship back around. New York is trying to pick up its first win in the last six games against the Red Birds.
More must-reads:
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TODAY'S BEST
Padres Asking Price in Dylan Cease Trade Revealed
The San Diego Padres were trying to trade starting pitcher Dylan Cease up until the trade deadline. But like when they tried finding a new home for him during the offseason, the Padres ultimately kept Cease in San Diego. It was clear the Padres would only trade Cease if they could acquire MLB talent that could help the team this season. They had been heavily pursuing Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran and sent an offer that included Cease in exchange for the All-Star, per MassLive’s Sean McAdam. “Similarly, the Red Sox have signaled interest in Dylan Cease, who would be a rental," McAdam wrote. "The Padres, in their never-ending quest to acquire Duran, proposed a package involving Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas and another prospect (not shortstop Leo de Vries) for Duran, which was quickly rejected." The Red Sox did not bite at the package starring Cease, but the Padres continued to offer him to other teams. San Diego reportedly offered Cease to the Houston Astros for starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti and three unnamed prospects, per MLB insider Bob Nightengale. But like Boston, Houston rejected the trade. The Padres were unable to find a deal worthy enough to part ways with their right-hander. And rather than trade away a starting pitcher, San Diego picked up two more at the deadline. The Padres acquired left-handed starting pitchers JP Sears from the Athletics and Nestor Cortes from the Milwaukee Brewers. Sears joined San Diego alongside former Athletics closer Mason Miller, who will serve as another powerful arm in high-leverage situations rather than the team’s primary closer. Cortes has been on the IL since April with an elbow flexor strain but should be back sometime this month. In addition to bolstering their bullpen and rotation, the Padres also landed a catcher and a left fielder in two separate trade deadline moves. San Diego received outfielder Ramón Laureano from the Baltimore Orioles. The Padres also got catcher Freddy Fermin, who was the Venezuelan Winter League’s Most Valuable Player in 2023, from the Kansas City Royals and designated catcher Martin Maldonado in a corresponding move. For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.
Matt LaFleur sheds light on concerning Tucker Kraft situation
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‘Wants to end up in Boston’… Celtics still favorites to sign breakout star who will snub ‘last resort’
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