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Mets call up slugging prospect Mark Vientos as Starling Marte goes on the 10-day IL

Matthew Roberson, New York Daily News
·2 min read
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This is certainly not how they wanted it to happen, but the Mets are calling up Mark Vientos.

Vientos, a consensus top ten prospect in the Mets’ system, is taking Starling Marte’s spot on the active roster for the time being. Marte was placed on the 10-day injured list as the fracture in his right middle finger has still not healed well enough for him to play. Marte’s IL stint is backdated to Wednesday, Sept. 7. He will be eligible to return on Saturday, Sept. 17 for the Mets’ game at Citi Field against the Pirates.

Vientos will be in the Mets’ starting lineup on Sunday, though Buck Showalter would not reveal what position he’d play. 

Vientos, 22, arrived in Miami on Saturday night but did not come to the stadium, according to Showalter, who said before the game that Vientos would be in the clubhouse “if the airlines cooperate.” Instead, per Showalter, Vientos had dinner with his family. He is the club’s second-round draft pick in 2017 out of his South Florida high school.

With 24 home runs at Triple-A this year and a 6-4 frame, Vientos is regarded as one of the best power hitters on the Mets’ farm. The right-handed batting third baseman spent the entire season at Triple-A, where he slugged .519 in 427 plate appearances. While he struck out in 28.6% of his plate appearances for Syracuse this year, he also walked in 10.3% of them. By wRC+, Vientos was 29% better than the average Triple-A hitter this season.

He becomes the second big-name Mets’ third base prospect to earn a major league callup this season, joining Brett Baty, who recently hit the IL himself after thumb surgery. Vientos will wear No. 27.

For Marte, the injury never seemed serious, as the Mets publicly stated that they thought he’d be able to avoid the injured list. By placing him on it, though, the team can see if Vientos provides a spark while making sure Marte heals properly for the playoffs. Marte has not played since Sept. 6, the day he was hit by a pitch on the finger, causing the injury.