Marcus

Semien

It’s the second time in the last four games that Semien has found himself left out of the starting lineup, which is at least something to monitor going forward. Brett Baty will cover second base in his absence and will bat seventh against Nationals’ right-hander Jake Irvin.

Semien takes a seat with Brett Baty getting the nod at the keystone in this one. The 35-year-old veteran second baseman has homered five times in 22 games since last month’s All-Star break, but he’s batting just .203 (15-for-74) during that span.

This is probably what the Mets envisioned they’d be getting from Semien this year -- someone who can mash lefties -- and, well, better late than never. Semien is hitting .261/.340/.543 over his last 15 games. He’s still off the radar in shallow leagues, but should get a chance to re-establish his value down the stretch and could be an NL-only league starter again.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a less valuable player than Semien this season. The Mets only mustered two measly singles and one walk against Chris Sale and the Braves’ bullpen here, but Semien was a special kind of lost. He struck out three times and only saw 11 total pitches on his way to doing so. He probably deserves to lose playing time down the stretch with just a .620 OPS this season plus some awful defensive metrics.

Semien is back at second base and hitting sixth after sitting out the front-end of Wednesday’s twin bill. The 35-year-old veteran has been on a tear at the dish recently, homering three times in his last five games. The other change for New York involves Luis Robert Jr. taking a turn in center field with rookie sensation A.J. Ewing on the bench.

Semien’s home run was his 12th of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Braves reliever Connor Thomas in the sixth inning. Semien has five runs scored, three home runs and six RBI over his last five games. The second baseman who turns 36 in September is hitting .214 with a .620 OPS and 35 RBI in his first season with the Mets.

Semien’s homer came in the seventh inning and gave the club some insurance runs. It has been a brutal season at the plate for the 35-year-old, who was acquired over the offseason for Brandon Nimmo. He’s off the fantasy radar heading into the final two months of the regular season.

With Luis Robert Jr. off the injured list, there was an expectation that the Mets would rotate through their outfielders, but Robert Jr. is on the bench for this one too. Brett Baty will start in right field, which will allow Jorge Polanco to DH and Marcus Semien to play second base. There will be a logjam at certain positions over the next week or so until the Mets can trade some players away.

Expect him to be back in the starting lineup tonight. Since Semien is hitting .214/.271/.341 with nine homers and six stolen bases in 318 plate appearances, he doesn’t necessarily need to be started in any fantasy leagues. Hopefully the time off will get him hitting better down the stretch.

Semien is expected to remain there through the All-Star break, with the assumption that he’ll be ready to rejoin the Mets to start the season’s second half. The 35-year-old infielder has hit an underwhelming .214/.271/.341 with nine homers, 29 RBI and six stolen bases in his first 318 plate appearances with the Mets.