When it comes to third base for the Mets, there are many pieces to the “puzzle.”
Gone are the days when David Wright manned the hot corner night in and night out.
As team president of baseball operations, David Stearns, put it, it’s a “carousel” in 2025.
“It’s a constant discussion — the playing time carousel and puzzle is one that you’re always talking about,” Stearns said before Friday’s series opener against the Rays at Citi Field. “We’ve got a bunch of good players on the infield, a bunch of good, young players on the infield.”
Twenty-five-year-old Mark Vientos appeared to be the man for the job last season, primarily playing at third as he appeared in 111 games and posted a 3.1 WAR, which ranked second on the team.
But with a hamstring injury sidelining him, it’s been the Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio show for the most part. Luisangel Acuña often has been the odd man out.
Manager Carlos Mendoza thinks there’s more to his decisions than just a direct player-to-player debate.
“With the 13 position players that I got, it’s not so much of the Mauricio-Baty conversation. I think it’s just more looking at what’s coming up next,” Mendoza said Friday. “It’s not so much the Mauricio-Baty; with the way our roster is constructed right now, there’s so much versatility and there’s a lot of different ways I can go.”
Mendoza added that it doesn’t simply come down to opposing pitchers and matchups when choosing his infielders. With the sheer number of options available, it can be a challenge to get all of their young pieces experience, which Stearns addressed.
“I’m actually pretty pleased with how they’ve all gotten a fairly substantial amount of playing time over these first couple of months in the season,” he said.
Allocation of playing time will soon become even more difficult when Vientos makes his return.
Vientos, who took swings during batting practice Friday, said his hamstring is “feeling a lot better.”
“I’m pushing for the next couple weeks, I’m thinking,” Vientos said. “We’re heading in the right direction, for sure.”
With his return drawing nearer, a tough conversation arises — one that likely puts somebody back in Triple-A.
“When Mark comes back, we’re gonna have to make another decision about how to allocate that playing time,” Stearns said. “But we’ll make that decision when we need to.”
