The New York Mets are set to begin a new series in MLB this week.
They are taking on the Miami Marlins (on the road).
Before the series kicked off (on Monday), the Mets announced their series-opener lineup.
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Mark Vientos OUT of Mets Lineup for Series Opener
Here is the full New York Mets batting order, which does not feature Mark Vientos for a second straight game. The lineup is courtesy of @UnderdogMLB:
Mets 9/8: “F. Lindor SS J. Soto LF B. Bichette DH C. Benge RF J. Young 1B M. Semien 2B A. Ewing CF B. Baty 3B F. Alvarez C S. Manaea SP”
Mark Vientos had just been activated off the IL, and the fact he hasn’t been in the Mets lineup the last couple of days isn’t great news for him, as Vientos is a non-tender (basically a release) candidate and is fighting for an every-day role with the Mets in the future. Vientos isn’t having the best season and has regressed mightily since his breakout 2024 season.
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Taking a Quick Look at Mark Vientos This Season
It might be hard to fault Mark Vientos for some of his struggles at the plate.
New York has experienced hardships up and down the batting order throughout this season, and perhaps Vientos being propelled into different positions on the field and the batting order has not helped him very much.
The New York Post’s Mark Sanchez wrote (about Vientos’ defensive struggles lately at first base):
“Among the data the Mets hope to collect during a lost September is whether Vientos can be counted on, particularly defensively, next season. Vientos’ latest round of auditions did not start well. Naturally a third baseman whose lack of mobility moved him off the spot, Vientos received another look at first Sunday and committed another error in what became a 4-2 win over the Giants at Citi Field.”
Vientos is batting .217 this season with 13 home runs, 39 RBI, 27 runs scored, and an OPS+ of 84.
His bWAR also sits at -1.1. His continued absence in the Mets’ batting order could be a sign of things to come for Vientos.
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