Ronny

Mauricio

New York’s infield mix got a bit more crowded when they acquired veteran second baseman Marcus Semien in a trade with the Rangers last month. Baty split time across several spots last year, making 87 appearances at the hot corner and 57 at the keystone. It sounds like he’ll get the nod over other in-house alternatives like Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña at third base heading into camp after hitting .291 with nine homers and 30 RBI in 55 games after the All-Star break to close last season.

New York will be without their primary third baseman for a pivotal showdown against Miami that carries plenty of playoff implications. It’ll be top prospect Ronny Mauricio stepping into the spotlight at the hot corner in this one. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza expressed concern late Friday that Baty could be done for the season. There should be some clarity on his status this weekend once he undergoes additional evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the issue.

Baty will undergo additional imaging this weekend to determine the severity of a possible oblique issue that cropped up during Friday’s game against the Marlins. Even a mild strain would likely require a couple weeks to rest and fully recover. The 25-year-old’s absence would likely result in more prominent roles for Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña during the postseason, should New York make it.

There’s been no indication that Nimmo is in danger of landing on the injured list, but he’s going to sit out his fourth consecutive game on Sunday afternoon. It’ll be Jeff McNeil heading out to left field on the heels of Saturday’s two-homer effort with Brett Baty covering second base and Ronny Mauricio getting into the lineup at the hot corner.

It was a two-run shot off Jake Irvin. Vientos had been 4-for-26 with one RBI and no walks this month before going 2-for-4 with a homer on Sunday. It seemed like his playing time was set to dwindle with Brett Baty outperforming him of late, but now the Mets figure to keep him in the lineup and see if this turns into a legitimate hot streak. That’s bad news for Ronny Mauricio, who was out of the lineup for a second straight game tonight.

Vientos will sit again, and hasn’t played since Saturday. The 25-year-old begins another game on the bench with Brett Baty hitting eighth while playing third base, and Ronny Mauricio lined up as the designated hitter and hitting seventh.

There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong physically with the 25-year-old slugger, it’s just a routine day of rest. Ronny Mauricio will start in his place at the hot corner and will bat eighth for the Mets against Brewers’ right-hander Brandon Woodruff.

USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale reported Sunday that the White Sox want Vientos in return for Luis Robert Jr., but it’s unclear if the Mets are considering that. Martino, who says the Mets are actively discussing Vientos deals, mentions Diamondbacks starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly as possibilities for the Mets, and Arizona definitely has room for Vientos with Josh Naylor gone and Eugenio Suárez almost sure to follow. The Mets could also keep Vientos and trade either Brett Baty or Ronny Mauricio, but it appears they value the other two more highly at the moment. Of course, both of them would be in line to benefit from a Vientos trade.

The 24-year-old infielder singled off of Spencer Bivens in the third inning but was erased on a fielder’s choice. He then smacked an RBI double in the fifth that briefly gave the Mets a 2-1 advantage. Mauricio followed that up with a 398-foot (104.7 mph EV) solo shot into McCovey Cove off of All-Star right-hander Randy Rodríguez that tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh. He also led off the ninth inning with a double. With his four-hit attack, Mauricio is now slashing .252/.320/.441 with five homers, eight RBI and three stolen bases over his first 122 plate appearances with the Mets this season.

Right after Francisco Alvarez had slugged a game-tying two-run homer with two outs in the fifth inning, Mauricio smacked a single into right field off of Kyle Hendricks. He then swiped second base and raced around to score the go-ahead run on an RBI knock off the bat of Brandon Nimmo. That would be his only hit on the night, but it played a critical role in the Mets’ victory. For the season, the 24-year-old infielder is now slashing .219/.287/.371 with four homers, six RBI and three stolen bases through his first 115 plate appearances with the Mets.