Mets Place Juan Soto On Injured List
The Mets announced that outfielder Juan Soto has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right calf strain. The move is retroactive to April 4th but the club also announced the typical return timeline as two to three weeks. Infielder Ronny Mauricio has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse as the corresponding move.
Soto departed Friday’s game with what the club called right calf soreness. Soto later told members of the media that he had a minor strain and would go day to day to see how he felt. After a couple of days of monitoring the situation, it seems the club will let him sit out for a while to rest up.
It’s not a major issue but it’s obviously not ideal for a player of Soto’s caliber to be subtracted from the lineup. He is one of the best hitters on the planet, with a career .282/.417/.531 line and 158 wRC+. His 18.6% walk rate is almost three ticks better than anyone else in the league. From 2018 to the present, Aaron Judge is second on the list with a 16% walk rate.
The timing is also a bit awkward. The Mets moved Soto to left field to begin the season and gave the right field job to prospect Carson Benge. Though Benge is talented, he has a .100/.206/.200 line through 34 plate appearances. Some of that is due to an unlucky .111 batting average on balls in play but he has also struck out in 32.4% of his plate appearances.
If the Mets had any thought of sending Benge down for a reset, that may be harder to do now that Soto is out, so they may be left with a floundering Benge in one corner and a patchwork solution in the other. On top of that, Brett Baty has missed the past few games due to a jammed left thumb while Jorge Polanco has an Achilles issue that is limiting him to designated hitter duty.
None of the issues are majors in a vacuum but the little bits add up to a challenging shuffle. Mark Vientos is covering first with Polanco in the DH spot. Baty could step into the outfield for Soto if his thumb feels better. If not, Jared Young and Tyrone Taylor could pick up some playing time.
As for Mauricio, he probably won’t play much behind the infield of shortstop Francisco Lindor, second baseman Marcus Semien and third baseman Bo Bichette. The Mets have been playing without a traditional backup infielder, comfortable with Bichette as a backup shortstop and guys like Baty and Vientos potential backups elsewhere. With Baty banged up, Mauricio gives them a bit more conventional cover.
Even if he doesn’t play much, it may be a notable transaction for him for other reasons. He came into this season with one option remaining and a service time count of two years and 31 days. Since he hasn’t yet spent 20 days on optional assignment this year, he hasn’t burned that final option. He also still has a path to get to three years of service in 2026, though getting sent back down later in the year could prevent him from getting there. Where he finishes the year could impact his path to arbitration and/or free agency.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images
Mets Option Ronny Mauricio
The Mets announced a series of roster cuts today. Most notably, infielder Ronny Mauricio has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. They also optioned right-hander Joey Gerber while non-roster pitchers Brandon Waddell and Mike Baumann were reassigned to minor league camp.
The Mauricio move might be a clue about some other moves the Mets will make to round out their Opening Day roster. Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports that third baseman Bo Bichette will play shortstop tomorrow with the possibility of the Mets beginning the season without a backup shortstop on the bench.
Bichette had been a shortstop for his entire career until recently. He finished the 2025 season on the injured list and missed the beginning of the Blue Jays’ playoff run. The Jays activated him for the World Series even though he clearly wasn’t fully healthy, then had him split his time between second base and designated hitter.
Even before that knee injury, Bichette wasn’t considered a strong defensive shortstop, so a move off the position felt inevitable. The Mets signed him this winter to get his bat in the lineup, even though they already had Francisco Lindor and Marcus Semien as their middle infield tandem. Bichette is going to be the regular third baseman but could perhaps serve as the de facto backup shortstop. Lindor is recovering from hamate surgery but is expected to be ready for the Opening Day roster.
Perhaps the Mauricio demotion is a sign that the Mets are indeed comfortable with that arrangement. The domino effect of that stance is that they could be able to promote prospect Carson Benge and also keep Mike Tauchman.
The Mets seem to have three of four bench spots locked up. Backup catcher Luis Torrens will have one. Corner infielder Mark Vientos should have another. Tyrone Taylor projects as the fourth outfielder. All three of those guys are out of options. Mauricio made sense as the fourth guy on the bench but he’s now out.
All offseason, president of baseball operations David Stearns has said that Benge would have a chance to make the team. As a safety net, they signed Tauchman to a minor league deal and MJ Melendez on a split deal. Melendez has an option and was sent down earlier this week. Benge has done his part to earn a spot, having put up a .406/.472/.500 line this spring. Tauchman has been making the team’s decision tough, putting up a .280/.419/.520 line.
Tauchman can opt out of his deal on March 25th if he’s not on the roster. Given his track record, he would likely trigger that clause and find a job elsewhere. If the Mets want to keep him around, then going with this shortstop plan would be a way to do that. Simultaneously, they could give Benge the regular right field job on Opening Day, keeping the possibility of the Prospect Promotion Incentive on the table.
If that’s the route they go, that could have impacts on others. Utility player Vidal Bruján is on the roster but out of options. The Mets could give him the final bench spot now that Mauricio has been sent down but that would mean letting Tauchman slip away. It’s possible Bruján gets nudged off the roster in the coming days.
As for Mauricio, he was once a notable prospect but his progression has been slowed a bit. He missed the entire 2024 season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He was back on the field in 2025 but was in a bench role for most of the year. He got into 61 big league games and produced a tepid .226/.293/.369 line.
Optioning him to the minors would have the benefit of getting him some regular playing time, something he hasn’t had in a while. However, he has just one option season remaining. If he stays down for at least 20 days, he will be out of options in 2027.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Mike Tauchman Has March 25 Opt-Out In Mets Deal
Outfielder Mike Tauchman is in camp with the Mets on a minor league deal. If the club doesn’t give him a roster spot at the end of camp, he can seek out opportunities elsewhere. Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that Tauchman has a March 25th opt-out in that deal. The Mets start the season on March 26th.
The Mets have two outfield spots spoken for. Juan Soto will be in left field and Luis Robert Jr. in center. The right field job was seemingly left open by design, as the Mets wanted to give prospect Carson Benge a chance to earn a spot. Benge has not yet made his major league debut, so the club needed to have some contingency plans. Tyrone Taylor is on the roster and could step up but he also would be a good fit as a glove-first fourth outfielder. Brett Baty is going to be in a super utility role and will be in the mix as well. Tauchman was brought in to give the Mets another option without taking up a roster spot. MJ Melendez was added to the roster but he has an option remaining and could be sent to Triple-A.
Benge is doing what he can to get the job, with a .367/.406/.433 line in spring so far. That’s held up by an unsustainable .440 batting average on balls in play but it’s encouraging nonetheless. Tauchman is putting up even better numbers. With a .400 BABIP, he has a .333/.481/.619 line in spring action so far.
Sammon floats the idea of both players cracking the roster but also notes it may not be realistic. With Francisco Lindor trending towards being ready on Opening Day, the roster is tight. Backup catcher Luis Torrens will have one of the four bench spots. Taylor and Mark Vientos are out of options and should have two more. The final spot could go to a backup infielder like Ronny Mauricio.
Mauricio does still have an option remaining, so the Mets could send him to Triple-A and add Tauchman to the bench. Doing so would leave them without a bench infielder, so the Mets would have to be comfortable with the versatility of their starters. Second baseman Marcus Semien and third baseman Bo Bichette are both former shortstops, with Bichette being an everyday guy there as recently as last year. Baty can play second and third. Vientos give them some cover at the hot corner. Jorge Polanco is expected to play a lot of first base but he also has recent experience at second and third.
It’s unknown how the Mets feel about that jumble but it’s theoretically possible they could feel comfortable without Mauricio in the mix. If he were sent to Triple-A, he could get some regular playing time, which he hasn’t had for a while. He missed 2024 due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Last year, he was still rehabbing that knee to start the year and then was mostly kept in a bench role once he was healthy. Vidal Bruján is only on the roster and out of options but the Mets may try to get him through waivers.
If the Mets don’t find a spot for Tauchman, he could find one somewhere else. He’s not a star but has been pretty solid for the past three years. Since the start of 2023, he has a combined .255/.359/.381 line, which translates to a 111 wRC+. He doesn’t have huge power but he has drawn walks at a strong 13% clip, while keeping his strikeouts down to a 21.3% clip. His defensive grades have been strong as well. FanGraphs credited him with 4.1 wins above replacement in 310 games over that span.
Despite the solid production, teams have somewhat surprisingly been averse to investing in him. The Cubs non-tendered him after 2024 despite a fairly modest $2.9MM projected salary from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. He spent 2025 with the White Sox and had another decent campaign but he was once again non-tendered, with Swartz projecting a $3.4MM salary.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Grae Kessinger Sidelined By “Significant” Hamstring Injury
Mets infielder Grae Kessinger is dealing with what manager Carlos Mendoza described as “a pretty significant injury” to his hamstring, as relayed by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Feinsand adds that Mendoza indicated surgery is “on the table” for Kessinger and that his recovery timeline will be at least eight to twelve weeks.
The news is a tough blow for Kessinger, who previously missed nearly all of the 2025 season due to injury. He made his big league debut with the Astros back in 2023 but was designated for assignment by the club shortly after the 2024 campaign. He was plucked off waivers by the Diamondbacks but appeared in just 11 games at Triple-A for the club due to his injury before eventually being released. He did not sign with a new club as he rehabbed that undisclosed injury, but he caught on with the Mets on a minor league deal back in January.
Kessinger was firmly in the mix to be the Mets’ utility infielder off the bench headed into the 2026 campaign. Unfortunately, that won’t be in the cards for him due to this latest injury. The 28-year-old has just 48 games at the big league level under his belt to this point in his career, all of which came as a member of the Astros. It’s difficult to draw conclusions regarding his overall ability from his lifetime .131/.243/.213 slash line at the major league level given that he’s gotten all of 70 plate appearances in the majors spread across two seasons, but a lifetime .268/.370/.400 slash line at Triple-A would certainly indicate that he has a chance to be a passable utility player in the majors.
More details on the specifics of Kessinger’s timeline figure to become available once it’s known whether or not he’ll need to go under the knife or if he can rehab the injury. If he does avoid surgery, the timeline Mendoza mentioned indicates that he could be back in play as a depth option around Memorial Day. In the meantime, other players in the organization will get a shot at backing up the team’s incumbent infielders. With Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette, and Brett Baty all set to start regularly between the four infield spots and DH, the utility infield job on the Mets’ bench could wind up coming with a fairly small amount of playing time available.
Still, a big league gig is coveted for any young player or minor league veteran, and the players who figure to battle for the position this spring now that Kessinger is out of commission include other non-roster invitees like Vidal Brujan, Jackson Cluff, and Christian Arroyo. Youngster Ronny Mauricio arguably has a leg up on all of those names given the fact that he’s already on the 40-man roster, but it should be considered that the aforementioned lack of playing time available in the role might make the Mets prefer to play Mauricio regularly at Triple-A. In that case, one of the aforementioned bench pieces seems likely to land the job, with Brujan perhaps being the favorite given his versatility and experience in the outfield.
Mets Prefer Trade Market To Free Agency In Rotation Search
The Mets are still in the market for upgrades to their starting pitching group, but they prefer to bolster the rotation by way of a trade rather than via free agency, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report.
It’s not exactly a surprising revelation. We’re one month removed from initial reporting that the Mets were reluctant to sign a free agent pitcher to a long-term contract, and the Mets have since shown aversions to long-term deals for incumbent stars like Edwin Diaz and especially Pete Alonso — both of whom have now signed elsewhere. The Mets also traded the remaining five years of Brandon Nimmo‘s contract for three of Marcus Semien. It seems there’s a real push to avoid clogging up the long-term books with many major deals beyond the lengthy commitments to Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.
It’s worth noting, too, that the Mets are deep in both top prospects and young big leaguers that could be marketed to other clubs. Their farm system is generally regarded as one of the ten best in the game. Following this year’s draft and trade deadline, Baseball America ranked the Mets’ system ninth in the game. MLB.com ranked it seventh. BA counts five Mets prospects (Carson Benge, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Jett Williams, Brandon Sproat) among the top 100 in the game. Young infielders Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña are all available in trade talks as well, per Rosenthal and Sammon.
One of the market’s most notable trade candidates, Miami righty Edward Cabrera, came off the board yesterday when he was traded to the Cubs for a three-player package headlined by top young outfielder Owen Caissie. Presumably, the Mets would’ve had to pay an even steeper price as a division rival, but Cabrera’s removal from the market only thins out the supply and creates more urgency among teams still looking for meaningful rotation upgrades (e.g. Mets, Yankees, Orioles, D-backs, Padres).
The Mets have been connected to a handful of possible trade targets this winter. They’ve reportedly spoken to the Padres about Nick Pivetta and to the Brewers about Freddy Peralta. They were also among the teams in on Cabrera and had some interest in Minnesota’s Joe Ryan before the Twins signaled that they’re not planning to move him (or rotation-mate Pablo Lopez). They’ve surely at least checked in on other prominent and under-the-radar names on the market alike.
The Mets went to three years to sign Devin Williams in free agency, acquired three years of Semien and (reportedly) were unwilling to go beyond three years for Pete Alonso. Their free-agent deals with infielder Jorge Polanco and righty Luke Weaver only span a two-year term. There’s been no firm indication that they’re wholly against surpassing three years for any free agent, but that certainly seems to be the team’s comfort zone with additions to the roster.
In fact, since being named president of baseball operations, David Stearns hasn’t committed more than three years to any free agent other than Soto, whose signing was more of an ownership-level move. Stearns’ largest signing after Soto was Sean Manaea, whose three-year, $75MM deal contains more than $23MM in deferred money. Currently, the Mets only have four players on guaranteed contracts in 2028 (Soto, Lindor, Williams, Semien). By 2029, Soto and Lindor are the only two players on the books.
If there’s a reluctance to guarantee players anything into 2029 and beyond, as at least ostensibly seems to the be the case, that’ll make it quite difficult to land any of the top remaining free agent names. The Mets sat down with Framber Valdez back in November, and Rosenthal and Sammon indicate that there’s still some interest there. Of course, signing Valdez would surely require going beyond three years — likely to at least a five-year pact. Ranger Suarez, like Valdez, figures to be looking for at least a five-year deal in free agency. If either pitcher lingers into February or March, perhaps they’ll pivot to a shorter-term deal with opt-out opportunities. Beyond that, a match with the Mets seems hard to envision — at least based on the team’s recent tendencies under the current baseball operations regime.
RosterResource currently projects the Mets for a $294MM payroll and just over $296MM of luxury-tax obligations. That puts the Mets about $8MM shy of the top tier of penalization, which they’ve crossed in each of the past four seasons. They currently owe a 95% tax on any dollars spent up to $304MM worth of tax obligations. From that point on, they’ll be taxed at a 110% rate for every dollar spent.
Mets Making Mark Vientos Available In Trade Talks
The Mets are informing teams that corner infielder/designated hitter Mark Vientos is available in trade conversations, writes Jorge Castillo of ESPN. That aligns with reporting from Will Sammon of The Athletic, who wrote last night that the Mets were willing to discuss each of Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña.
Vientos looked like a lineup building block at this time last year. The righty-hitting infielder was coming off a 27-homer season in which he’d hit .266/.322/.516 across 454 regular season plate appearances. He was even better in the playoffs, blasting five homers and a pair of doubles while hitting .327 across 13 games. Vientos was a huge reason the Mets made it to the 2024 NL Championship Series. He would have been the heir apparent at first base had Pete Alonso found a robust enough market to price him out of Queens.
Instead, Alonso returned on a short-term deal. That came shortly after the Mets had re-signed Jesse Winker as their designated hitter against right-handed pitching. Vientos moved back to third base, where he has never been a good defender. The numbers were predictably ugly. Defensive Runs Saved had him 10 runs below average in just 556 innings. Statcast had him at six runs below par.
Defensive struggles were to be expected. More surprising is that Vientos’ bat also significantly regressed. He only hit 17 homers with a .233/.289/.413 slash line in a similar amount of playing time as he had in 2024. The underlying numbers were more encouraging. Vientos made hard contact (an exit velocity of 95 MPH or higher) on half his batted balls. He cut his strikeout rate by five percentage points from an alarming 29.7% clip.
He probably didn’t change all that much as a hitter, but the regression suggested his ’24 level of play wasn’t sustainable either. Vientos had a career-high .324 average on balls in play that year. Among hitters with 400+ plate appearances, only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani had seen a higher percentage of their fly balls clear the fences. Vientos has big power but was unlikely to keep that kind of company. As is often the case, his true talent likely lies somewhere in between his numbers of the last two years. He’s an annual threat for 25+ home runs but has a worrying enough plate discipline and contact profile that he’s not going to post strong on-base percentages.
Alonso’s free agent departure opens the door for Vientos to carve out regular first base or DH reps with the Mets. He shouldn’t get much playing time at third base anymore, as the Marcus Semien acquisition pushed Brett Baty firmly to the hot corner. The Mets are in agreement with Jorge Polanco on a two-year, $40MM contract and intend to play him mostly at first base. Polanco’s history of knee issues suggests he’ll probably need a decent number of DH at-bats. They could keep Vientos and have him split playing time with Polanco between those positions.
However, Sammon wrote last night that the Mets are kicking around possibilities to add another bat-first player. Acquiring a left fielder might not impact Vientos’ path to playing time, but bringing in a traditional first baseman or DH would push him out of the projected lineup. He’s out of minor league options, so a trade would seem almost inevitable at that point.
The Mets reportedly discussed Vientos with teams going back to the trade deadline. He was linked to the White Sox as the Mets kicked the tires on Luis Robert Jr., though New York balked at that framework. Robert suffered another injury shortly after the deadline and is now set to make $20MM. It’d be a surprise if the Mets give up four years of control over Vientos for him, even though they could still use a better center fielder than Tyrone Taylor to bridge the gap to prospect Carson Benge.
Acuña and Mauricio have also found themselves in trade rumors for months. Both players’ stocks are down. Acuña, 24 in March, is a good defensive infielder but owns a .248/.299/.341 line in 233 MLB plate appearances. He hasn’t hit much at the Triple-A level either and is out of options. Maybe another team thinks he’d be a Gold Glove caliber shortstop who can fit at the bottom of a lineup, but he increasingly looks like a utility player.
Mauricio is approaching his 25th birthday and coming off a .226/.293/.369 showing over 184 plate appearances. He’s a switch-hitting infielder with huge power but significant plate discipline questions. Mauricio debuted at the end of the 2023 season and missed the entire ’24 campaign after tearing his right ACL in winter ball. He still has an option remaining and is a boom or bust player who probably fits better on a non-contending team that can live with inconsistency at the plate.
Astros Talked With Mets About Jeff McNeil, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio
The Astros are keen on adding left-handed hitting to their righty-heavy lineup, and “at least inquired” with the Mets about the availability of Jeff McNeil, Brett Baty, and switch-hitter Ronny Mauricio, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Since the Mets are known to be open to dealing from their infield depth, a trade between the two sides would seem to make sense on paper, though it isn’t known if the discussions gained any traction.
McNeil is in something of a different category than the other two players, as McNeil is an established big league commodity. In fact, the 33-year-old is again producing above-average offense after a couple of down years, as McNeil is hitting .251/.356/.453 with nine home runs over 265 plate appearances. Between this steady bat and McNeil’s ability to play both second base and all three outfield positions (with a particular focus on center field this year), it is hard to imagine the Mets parting ways with such a key cog in their lineup.
On the financial side of things, McNeil is controlled through 2027 as per the four-year, $50MM extension he signed with New York prior to the 2023 season. He is owed the remainder of his $15.75MM salary for 2025, another $15.75MM in 2026, and there is a $2MM buyout on a $15.75MM club option for 2027. Barring a similar contract heading back to the Mets, a McNeil trade would put the Astros well over the luxury tax threshold, which seemed to be an unofficial spending limit for the club last offseason. Recent reports indicate that Houston might well consider exceeding the tax line in certain circumstances, but bringing McNeil aboard may not qualify.
Landing Baty or Mauricio is perhaps more of a viable option for the Astros, though New York would also want something significant for either player, given their years of team control and their still-recent status as top-100 prospects. Baty has hit only .220/.284/.352 over 865 PA in the majors, however, and perhaps has fallen out of favor after once being viewed as the Amazins’ third baseman of the future. Mauricio has a more respectable .245/.303/.400 slash line from a small sample of 238 career PA, and he is back in action this season after missing the entire 2024 campaign recovering from a torn ACL.
While the two youngsters still have something to prove as big leaguers, the change-of-scenery potential could be attractive to the Astros, as well as Houston’s more immediate near-term needs. The Astros were thin on left-handed hitting even before the heavy swath of injuries that sent seven position players to the IL — Yordan Alvarez, their most prominent lefty-swinger, has now missed close to three months due to a hand fracture.
Jeremy Pena is expected back at shortstop within the next few days, so Baty or Mauricio could be used at second or third base. Isaac Paredes and Brendan Rodgers are also on the IL and not expected back soon, so a new face at second base would move Jose Altuve into left field on a more regular basis, thus addressing Houston’s outfield needs. (GM Dana Brown outlined this possible scenario this past weekend.)
Mets Discussing Mark Vientos In Trade Talks
The Mets are clear buyers this summer with a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies for control of the NL East, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible that they would deal from their big league roster. As the club seeks help in multiple areas of it’s roster, Andy Martino of SNY reports that the club has been discussing infielder Mark Vientos with rival clubs ahead of this week’s trade deadline. He adds that teams have inquired after not only Vientos but also fellow infield youngsters Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, though Martino notes that teams have come away with the belief that Vientos is the most available of those three names.
It’s a position that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. The 25-year-old enjoyed a breakout season last year when he slashed .266/.332/.516 with 27 homers and 22 doubles across just 111 games. That seemed to position Vientos as the club’s third baseman of the future in spite of his lackluster work with the glove last season. Unfortunately for the Mets and Vientos, however, things have gone off the rails this year. The Mets were surely hoping that his glove would improve at least somewhat with time, but he’s remained one of the worst defenders in the sport this year. This time, however, his offense isn’t carrying the overall package. Vientos has slashed just .226/.280/.358 (81 wRC+) across 73 games this year amid a power outage that’s seen his barrel rate collapse from 14.1% last year to just 7.3% in 2025.
With Vientos unproductive on both offense and defense, he’s arguably expendable on a club with better options at first base (Pete Alonso) and DH (Starling Marte). Baty, Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna and Jeff McNeil can all hold their own on the infield as well, to say nothing of the anticipated eventual return of Jesse Winker from the injured list, at which point he’ll likely return to sharing time with Marte at DH. All of those options leave Vientos somewhat squeezed out of the mix for playing time, but another club could look at Vientos’s 2024 performance and the fact that he remains under team control through the end of the 2029 season and see an opportunity to buy low on a bat with an All-Star caliber ceiling.
The White Sox, for instance, have interest in Vientos according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Nightengale suggests that the Sox would want Vientos in return for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. after months of connections between Robert and the Mets in the rumor mill. Robert’s value is unlikely to be high enough to land Vientos in a one-for-one trade at this point, though speculatively speaking it’s at least possible he could be had if Robert was packaged with pitching help that would help address New York’s other needs.
Chicago is far from the only team that should have interest in Vientos if he’s available, however. The Diamondbacks are primarily targeting young pitching, but Vientos would be an intriguing fit given the recent loss of first baseman Josh Naylor and the club’s impending plans to trade third baseman Eugenio Suarez in the coming days. The Padres are dangling Dylan Cease in hopes of adding a bat or two this summer, and Vientos’s combination of upside and cheap team control could be attractive to a cash-strapped contender. The Rays are always creative and appear to be at least considering dealing incumbent first baseman Yandy Diaz this summer. The Red Sox are in need of first base help and could benefit from another right-handed bat in their lineup.
A handful of those clubs mentioned remain in playoff contention alongside the Mets, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time a pair of buy-side GMs managed to get creative and work out a trade that benefits both clubs. Vientos should have broad appeal to teams looking for help on the infield corners or at DH regardless of their competitive timeline thanks to his combination of near-term upside and long-term team control. Of course, it’s far from a lock that the Mets will actually move Vientos. New York stands to benefit as much as anyone from the slugger’s upside in 2026 and beyond, particularly in the likely event that Alonso opts out of his contract this winter. Even in 2025, the depth Vientos provides could prove essential in the event of an injury sidelining a player like Marte or any of the club’s infielders. While the slugger isn’t the key cog in the Mets’ lineup he was last year, all the traits that make him an attractive buy-low candidate would make it difficult for the club’s front office to justify selling low on him.
Mets Willing To Trade From Infield Depth
The Mets are willing to trade from their major league infield as they look for help elsewhere on the roster, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Obviously, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso aren’t going anywhere. Nor are they likely to trade Jeff McNeil, who is having a strong season as a multi-positional contributor. If a trade comes together, it’d involve one of their four younger big league infielders: Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos or Luisangel Acuña.
Those players have found themselves in trade rumors at least dating back to last offseason. The 25-year-old Baty has long seemed the likeliest to move, as the former top prospect has not become the offensive player that many evaluators envisioned. The lefty hitter owns a .236/.292/.419 batting line across 251 plate appearances this season. While those are the best numbers of his career, they’re essentially league average. Baty has gotten there in rather streaky fashion. He had a terrible April that led the Mets to briefly demote him back to Triple-A once McNeil returned from a season-opening injured list stint. Baty hit well upon being recalled in May, tanked in June, and is back to swinging the bat well of late.
A natural third baseman, Baty has added second base to his defensive repertoire this season. He has graded as a league average second baseman with slightly above-average marks at the hot corner in a small sample. Baty has been a useful player overall, but he still hasn’t established himself as a first-division regular. He won’t reach arbitration eligibility for another year after this one and is under club control through the 2029 season.
Vientos, also 25, seemed to establish himself as a core piece last season. He connected on 27 homers with an excellent .266/.322/.516 slash line in the regular season. Vientos hit .327 and added five more longballs in 13 playoff games. He hasn’t gotten going offensively at any point this year. The righty hitter has slumped to a .221/.275/.352 showing in 265 plate appearances. Vientos’ average exit velocity and hard contact rate aren’t much different than they were last season, but his bat speed is down a tick and his actual power production has plummeted.
That’s particularly concerning for a player who doesn’t have much in his game to fall back upon. Vientos isn’t a great athlete and he’s a well below-average defensive third baseman. He should ideally be at first base, but Alonso’s presence means that won’t happen for at least the rest of this season (and potentially beyond if the Mets re-sign Alonso in free agency again). He’s working primarily as a designated hitter while Jesse Winker is battling back problems. Vientos is controllable for another four seasons, so trading him now would be a sell-low move, but he’s out of minor league options and not providing much value at the moment.
Mauricio, a toolsy switch-hitter with a very aggressive approach, is in his first season back from an ACL tear. He’s hitting .218/.288/.376 with four homers in 31 big league contests. The 6’4″ infielder is working as the primary third baseman with Baty mostly at the keystone. The 24-year-old Mauricio would exhaust his final option year if he spends another three days in Triple-A this season. He’s controllable for at least four more seasons.
Acuña, 23, has been a light-hitting utility player. He’s hitting .240/.293/.286 without a home run in 169 trips to the plate. His .260/.303/.356 slash line in 640 career Triple-A plate appearances isn’t much better. He’s the best defender of this group who has only moved off shortstop in deference to Lindor. Maybe another team feels there’s enough defensive ability that Acuña could be a low-end regular at shortstop. He has an option remaining but — similar to Mauricio — would exhaust it if he spends another two days in Triple-A this year. That probably played into the team’s decision to recall him just before the All-Star Break. He’s only really getting opportunities against left-handed pitching, so his current usage doesn’t give him much opportunity to improve at the plate.
With the possible exception of Baty, each of these players probably has less trade value than they would have had over the winter. There’d nevertheless still be teams interested in all of them, but they’re not likely to headline a deal for an impact player. Sammon writes that the Mets are generally prioritizing bullpen upgrades, and it’d hardly be a surprise if someone from this group intrigued a team like the Pirates (David Bednar, Dennis Santana) or Rockies (Jake Bird) that is shopping relief pitching and in need of short-term offensive help.
Mets Recall Ronny Mauricio
4:45pm: As expected, Vientos has been placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain, per Will Sammon of The Athletic.
8:45am: The Mets are calling infielder Ronny Mauricio back up to the majors for what’ll be his first MLB action since 2023, as first reported by Mike Rodriguez. Mauricio missed the entire 2024 season after suffering an ACL tear during winter ball in the 2023-24 offseason and began the 2025 season on the injured list as he finished up his rehab from the resulting knee surgery.
Mauricio’s return to the big leagues dovetails with a potential injury for third baseman/designated hitter Mark Vientos, who left last night’s game with discomfort in his hamstring after running out a grounder in the 10th inning. Skipper Carlos Mendoza noted after the game that it “didn’t look good” for Vientos following that exit and added that the slugger went straight to have imaging performed. The results of that MRI haven’t yet been shared publicly, but Mauricio traveling to Los Angeles to meet the Mets certainly seems to suggest an IL stint for Vientos could be forthcoming.
Still just 24 years old, Mauricio has ranked among the Mets’ top prospects for upwards of six years now. Originally signed out of his native Dominican Republic eight years ago, he’s had a relatively slow climb to the majors — granted, in large part due to that injury — but now looks poised for an opportunity of some note. He received a 26-game cup of coffee late in the 2023 season and batted .248/.296/.347 in his first 108 MLB plate appearances. Were it not for last year’s knee injury, Mauricio very likely would’ve gotten a larger opportunity in 2024.
The question of how to juggle playing time and opportunities for the promising young infield group of Mauricio, Vientos, Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña has loomed over the Mets for some time, but that quartet has never been healthy enough simultaneously to force the issue. Early this season, Baty increasingly looked to be the odd man out, but he shook off a slow start and has been hitting well enough to cut into Vientos’ time at third base. After collecting only three hits in his first 10 games of the season, Baty has tallied 101 plate appearances with a hearty .280/.330/.548 slash (146 wRC+). He’s homered six times and added three doubles, two triples and a pair of stolen bases along the way.
As Baty’s bat heated up, both Vientos and Acuña cooled. Acuña’s month of May was even rougher than Baty’s first week-plus; he hit .204/.252/.222 last month and is hitless in three plate appearances since the calendar turned to June. Vientos, meanwhile, carried above-average production at the plate into mid-May, but he’s batted just .191/.250/.298 in his past 52 turns at the dish. All the while as that balance of playing time shifted in the majors, Mauricio was reacclimating to the rigors of pro ball and readying for another opportunity — one that now looks to have presented itself.
Mauricio posted an awful .125/.176/.188 line with a 35.3% strikeout rate in his first 10 games back from the injured list, which were split between Class-A and Double-A. With his rehab complete, the Mets unsurprisingly optioned him to Triple-A rather than call him up after that performance in the lower minors. A return to Triple-A Syracuse coincided with a return to form at the plate. Mauricio has played in nine Triple-A games and collected multiple hits in seven of them. He’s ripped three homers and a double, all while drawing the same number of walks as strikeouts (five) in 39 plate appearances.
The Mets would probably have preferred to see Mauricio draw out this hot streak a bit longer — both given the extent of his initial struggles in the low minors and because he’s yet to play on three consecutive days at any point in his return to action. He’s only played on consecutive days six times since his return to the field on April 27. The Vientos injury likely forced the Mets’ hand, however. Mauricio may end up in a limited role early on, sharing time at third base with Baty, at second base with Acuña and Jeff McNeil, and at DH with Starling Marte.