Mark Vientos is running out of runway with the Mets.
Once the club’s breakout bat and a key October spark during that run to the National League Championship Series, Vientos has spent the last two seasons sliding in the wrong direction. Now, with September approaching and a return from injury on the horizon, there’s no sign he’s walking back into anything close to a guaranteed job.
Vientos has been sidelined since July with a fractured right wrist, and he’s currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse. The early results have been fine: one home run, two RBIs and three runs scored in three games. But even that modest production won’t buy him much unless the Mets see more when he comes back.
That was the message from interim manager Andy Green earlier this week. Green said that "it's not going to be a perfectly laid path" for Vientos when he is ready to come back, and he explained that the infielder’s chances will be shaped by how he and the rest of the roster perform. In plain terms, Vientos has to earn whatever opportunity is waiting for him.
That’s a hard truth, but the numbers back it up. After his 27-homer, 71-RBI breakout two seasons ago, Vientos hit just .233/.289/.413 with 17 homers, 61 RBIs and a .702 OPS in 2024. This year has been worse: a .211/.256/.388 line, 11 home runs, 61 strikeouts and a .644 OPS before the injury.
He also wasn’t exactly forcing the issue at the plate before going down, and his overall play was described as non-competitive. The Mets have also moved other pieces into place, which only tightens the squeeze.
Bo Bichette has settled in at third base, Jared Young has taken hold at first base, and the designated hitter mix is crowded enough already. On top of that, the Mets would likely prefer to keep giving Juan Soto DH days as he works back from his second calf injury of the year.
So even if Vientos comes off the injured list and contributes in September, the path to a real role looks murky. He has already lost the consistency that once made him look like a long-term piece, and his defense hasn’t helped his case either.
At this point, it’s getting harder to picture Vientos with the Mets beyond this season. The way things stand, 2027 could be the year he shows up to spring training wearing a different uniform.
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Robert leaves New York after a brief, uneven run that still hinted at the upside that made him such a notable trade chip in the first place. He hit .222 with a .737 OPS in 34 games overall, but his last 19 games with the Mets were far more encouraging, as he settled in with a .262 average and a .930 OPS before Baltimore seized the chance to take a look for itself. [Read more 🡒]