Mets Infielder’s Playing Time May Be Coming to an End

· Yahoo Sports

Mark Vientos has had a rough go of it as of late for the New York Mets. In his last 10 games, he is hitting .179 with one home run and three RBI. He has simply been very inconsistent this season, starting as far back as spring training. He will have his flashes and then have droughts like this one right now. Between his non-existent bat, his poor defensive play, and the return of Jorge Polanco, as well as Jared Young‘s red-hot bat, it might be time to say goodbye to Vientos.

Visit afnews.co.za for more information.

Mark Vientos May Not Finish the Season with the Mets

In 53 games this season, Vientos has seven homers, 26 RBI, and a slash line of .219/.254/.380. His play has been very poor recently, and he doesn’t seem to show any signs of breaking out. As stated earlier, the bat is not there, and the defense is really making a case to keep him off the field altogether.

Vientos made an error in Tuesday night’s loss to the Seattle Mariners that got a very negative reaction from Mets fans on social media. What he had to say after the game just made it worse. When asked about his defense, Vientos responded, “Feel like I’ve done a pretty good job over there,” he said Tuesday. “Been working. Feel like I’ve been doing pretty good. I have to give myself a little bit of props.” Sadly, the words do not back up the product that Vientos has shown on the field. 

Polanco Returning Means Less ABs for Vientos

The Mets have stated that Polanco will be returning as early as their weekend trip to San Diego to face the Padres. With that being said, it seems as if this will take away plenty of playing time from Vientos. The plan for Polanco is for him to return and be the full-time DH.

So instead of experimenting and splitting time between guys like Vientos and Brett Baty, the Mets are ensuring that they have a permanent DH for the foreseeable future. The only chance Vientos has to play then would be at first base. However, there is another factor that would eliminate him from playing there. That factor is Jared Young’s hot bat since coming back from the injured list.

Young May Take Playing Time from Vientos at First

In his last 15 games, Young has been hitting .314, with two homers and six runs scored. He has also been solid defensively at first base. With Vientos struggling at the same time as Young is heating up, there may not be much of a spot for Vientos on this team. It will be really hard for the Mets to throw him into the lineup at times if he doesn’t have an impact.

What Do the Mets Plan to Do?

This is the first time in a while that it seems as though there are no plans for Vientos on this team. Between the miscues defensively and the cold bat, his playing time will diminish. It will be intriguing to see what the Mets plan to do with Vientos. Will they give him another shot, or will they come to terms with the fact that it may be time to trade him or cut him loose some other way? These next couple of weeks will most likely determine the outcome of Mark Vientos and his Mets career.

 

Main Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Read full story at source