Brett

Baty

Baty was scratched from Sunday’s lineup with a jammed thumb, but he was available off the bench and now the 26-year-old will return to the lineup against Zac Gallen and the Arizona bullpen.

Soto said over the weekend that he believed he could avoid the injured list and called himself “day-to-day.” Unfortunately, the injury was more severe than that. The team has said that a typical return for this type of injury is between two and three weeks. The Mets would like Brett Baty to take most of Soto’s innings in left field, but Baty jammed his left thumb on Saturday night and didn’t play on Sunday. Baty was allegedly able to pinch hit, so he should be good to go, which would also open up first base at-bats for Mark Vientos, who has been swinging a hot bat lately.

Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Baty suffered the injury on a head-first slide during Saturday’s game. The Mets aren’t concerned that it’s going to be a long-term issue and there are no additional tests planned. He should be considered day-to-day.

No word yet on the reason for the late scratch. Jared Young will take his place in right field and will bat fifth against Giants’ right-hander Logan Webb on Sunday. Look for the Mets to provide an update on Baty’s status at some point before the end of the day.

Robert takes a seat with rookie sensation Carson Benge shifting over to patrol center field and Brett Baty making his first career start in right field. The 28-year-old’s Mets debut has gone swimmingly as he’s hitting .455 (5-for-11) with one homer and five RBI through three games. The home run was a walk-off blast in the 11th inning of Sunday’s marathon extra-inning win over the Pirates.

It always seemed like Baty was destined to be the strong-side platoon at DH this year, but his draft price never really rose in fantasy leagues. After a demotion at the start of last season, Baty came back up with a more focused approach, cutting his swinging strike rate and called strike rate. He would then slash .266/.327/.454 in 110 games the rest of the way with 17 home runs, seven steals, and a 24 percent strikeout rate. He should be very productive this year for the Mets. The rest of their Opening Day lineup is: Francisco Lindor SS, Juan Soto LF, Bo Bichette 3B, Jorge Polanco 1B, Luis Robert Jr. CF, Brett Baty DH, Marcus Semien 2B, Carson Benge RF, and Francisco Alvarez C.

What looks like the only exception is that it’s Ben Rortvedt behind the dish instead of Francisco Alvarez. Carson Benge is starting in right field and batting eighth for the Mets. He has been battling Mike Tauchman for the starting gig there throughout the spring, though Tauchman left Saturday’s game with a knee injury and is heading for an MRI. The 23-year-old outfielder has certainly earned the job this spring, hitting .368 (14-for-38) with zero homers, five RBI and one stolen base. Here’s the full lineup that you’ll see from the Mets on Sunday: Francisco Lindor SS, Juan Soto LF, Bo Bichette 3B, Jorge Polanco 1B, Luis Robert Jr. CF, Brett Baty DH, Marcus Semien 2B, Benge RF, Rortvedt C.

Baty smacked a double off of Zack Littell in the opening inning and raced around to score the game’s first run as Ronny Mauricio followed with a two-bagger of his own. That would be his only hit in three at-bats on the night. The 26-year-old is having a strong spring with the bat, hitting .389 (7-for-18) with one homer, five RBI and one stolen base.

Baty made his second start at first base today. He’s also played right field once. Although he’d never played first base prior to last week, he has a chance to be the Mets’ best defender there, which would help keep him in the lineup after the Bo Bichette signing knocked him off third base. It’s clear he needs to start somewhere against righties after his fine second half last year.

Baty lanced a Miles Mikolas fastball opposite field to put the Mets up 3-0 in the first inning. Baty, who just started playing this week after being slowed by a hamstring injury early in camp, started in right field. It’s possible he plays all four corner infield and outfield spots this year for the Mets, adding a little bit of positional flexibility to your fantasy roster. Considering the Mets will likely have him in the middle third of the lineup, he could be in line for plenty of RBI opportunities if he stays productive.