Mark Vientos has spent September waiting for a door to open, and Jared Young’s concussion may have finally created one. The Mets’ third baseman and designated hitter went 1-for-3 with a walk in Friday’s 6-3 win over the Phillies, a small line in a long season but another opportunity for a hitter whose future in Queens is suddenly anything but certain.
Two years ago, Vientos looked like a cornerstone. At 24, he launched 27 home runs in 111 games and became one of the engines of the Mets’ order. Then came an October in which he hit five homers and drove in 14 runs across 13 games, putting himself among the game’s most productive postseason bats.
That version of Vientos has been harder to find since. His playing time dried up, injuries intervened and the club’s roster decisions kept him from building much of a rhythm. Before Young’s absence created room this weekend, Vientos had started only three of New York’s first 15 games in September, coming to the plate 15 times total.
“Do I want to be a New York Met? Of course I want to be a New York Met,” Vientos said. “This is the team that I got drafted by and I have so many great memories with. But it’s whatever life has in store for me.”
From breakout bat to uncertain roster spot
The road to this point has been a sharp turn from the one Vientos seemed to be traveling after 2024. The Mets selected him in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft, when he was among the youngest players available. His raw talent brought lofty early comparisons, including to Manny Machado and Alex Rodriguez. After a steady climb through the farm system, he reached the majors at age 22 in 2022 and eventually emerged as a central figure for the “OMG” Mets.
His follow-up season went sideways early. Vientos carried an OPS below .600 into the latter part of April, then saw his role shrink in May. A right hamstring strain put him on the injured list in June, and his lack of regular at-bats remained a source of frustration as trade speculation followed him into July.
The next offseason brought more uncertainty, followed by a difficult spring. With no Minor League options remaining, Vientos stayed on the roster, but he again worked mainly on the lesser-used side of a designated-hitter platoon. In mid-July, a fractured right hand sent him back to the injured list. He did not return until Aug. 31.
“After ’24, I had expectations,” Vientos said. “When those expectations don’t come, you start to wonder, ‘What do I need to do?’ … I believe what I did in ’24, that’s me.”
He called the past two seasons learning experiences, saying he believes the difficult stretch will help him going forward.
There is still a useful piece of evidence in Vientos’ favor. He entered Friday with an .885 OPS against left-handed pitching, more than 100 points better than any other qualified Met. Young’s injury figures to give him a few more chances to put that strength on display before the season closes.
“I applaud him for it,” Green said of Vientos’ handling of reduced playing time. “You see him approaching this the right way. And this is not an easy thing to have playing time kind of clipped from what you’ve been used to. So, pleased with the way he’s walked through it. He’s had good energy. He’s been a good teammate.”
The larger decision arrives in roughly two months. Vientos will be arbitration eligible for the first time after earning near the Major League minimum throughout his big-league career. The Mets can tender him a contract, which would put him in line for a meaningful raise; tender him and seek a trade; or potentially tender him before releasing him during Spring Training for less money. They could also non-tender him outright and end his tenure with the organization before he turns 27.
Vientos is not pretending to know which road awaits. Asked how much he wonders about what comes next, he compared it to wondering what breakfast will be tomorrow.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens, and I just go with the flow.”
For now, the assignment is simpler: take the at-bats that appear, contribute where he can, and remind the Mets of the hitter who once carried so much of their October lineup. Whether those final September chances become a bridge to another season in New York remains the unanswered part.
