Mets confirm that Mark Vientos is ready to return from IL stint

Speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Braves, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed that Vientos is ready to return to the big league club.

“He played last night, and they had a day game today. He played third base and had three at-bats. He’ll be back here tomorrow,” Mendoza said. “Now we’ve got to get with the trainers and talk to him and see if he needs an off day after playing back-to-back, or if he’s ready to go and play for us.”

Vientos has been on the IL since June 3rd after straining his hamstring in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 25-year-old had a breakout year in his first full season with the Mets, and usurped Brett Baty for the starting job at third base last May. Baty has filled in at third base in Vientos’ absence and has done a stellar job on defense, although his offensive output has tailed off after a hot start.

In his second year with the big league squad, Vientos has also seen a drop-off at the plate. Before he was injured, the 25-year-old was slashing just .230/.298/.380 with six home runs and 21 RBI. Things were worse at Triple-A Syracuse during his rehab stint, as Vientos managed just a pair of hits in 21 at-bats for a slash line of .095/.174/.143.

Given that he is returning from a hamstring injury, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Vientos get some time at DH for the Mets. With Starling Marte hitting well recently, Vientos could be forced back into playing third base, which means Baty could slide back to second base to split time with Jeff McNeil.

It appears that rookie Ronny Maruicio would likely be the odd man out and return to Triple-A for more seasoning once Vientos is officially activated.