The New York Mets finally won a series. They beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Thursday to take three out of four at Citi Field. It was their first series win in a while. But the victory came with a cost.
Third baseman Mark Vientos took a pitch off his hand in the game. He stayed in initially but was pulled before the next half-inning for defense. SNY captured the moment he left. Team beat reporter Chelsea Janes later confirmed, via interim manager Andy Green, that Vientos has a fractured hand.
That’s a problem. Vientos had played in 73 of the Mets’ 94 games this season, splitting time between third and first base. He’s hitting .211 with a minus-1.4 WAR. Those are rough numbers. But the Mets have leaned on him anyway. He was one of the few healthy bodies they had left in the infield. Now he joins Marcus Semien and Luis Robert Jr. on the injured list.
The Mets are 39-55. They’re last in the NL East. Their season has been a disaster and it’s not even August. Losing a guy who’s hitting .211 shouldn’t feel like a huge blow. But for this team, which has no depth and even less luck, it’s another gut punch. Vientos played a career-high 121 games last season. He was on pace to beat that. Not anymore.
Who fills in at third and first?
The Mets will likely give more playing time to Bo Bichette at third base and Jared Young at first. Bichette is in his first season in Queens and hasn’t exactly turned things around yet. He’s struggled. But maybe regular at-bats will help. Young hasn’t done much either. The Mets are basically hoping someone gets hot. That’s not a plan, it’s a prayer.
The team hasn’t said how long Vientos will be out. Hand fractures vary. Could be four weeks. Could be six. Could be the rest of the year if it’s bad enough. Either way, the Mets are running out of options. They can’t afford to lose anyone else. But here we are.
New York now heads to Pittsburgh for a three-game series against the Pirates. They’ll do it without their starting first baseman/third baseman. That’s just how 2026 has gone for this team. One step forward, one bone fracture to the hand.
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