Mark Vientos, who was hit by a pitch on the hand in the second inning of today’s win over the Kansas City Royals, is set to miss a chunk of time. Interim manager Andy Green announced in his post-game press conference that he suffered a hand fracture, and he will be placed on the injured list.
Vientos has hardly had a season to write home about, and this is another roadblock for the right handed hitter. He will hit the injured list with a slash line of .211/.256/.388, good for a 77 wRC+ on the year.
He also has struggled in the field throughout the season, earning a stunning -8 outs above average on the year (-9 at first base, and +1 at third base). Overall, it has been a season to forget for him.
The Mets have a fair few options to recall someone in Vientos’s place. The Syracuse Mets infield has options such as Christian Arroyo, Vidal Bruján, Ronny Maruicio, Christopher Morel, Zach Short and Ryan Clifford, all players who have Major League experience or, in Clifford’s case, are interesting but perhaps not quite ready prospect. Or they could go a more DH focused route, and recall M.J. Melendez.
As for the current Mets roster, the injury opens up Jared Young and Eric Wagaman to platoon at first base, with Jorge Polanco taking the lion’s share of the reps at designated hitter.
