The New York Mets are already buried in the NL East cellar. Now they’ll spend the next two months without one of their few young everyday players.
Mark Vientos fractured his right hand Thursday night after getting hit by a Michael Wacha sinker in the second inning. The team told him recovery will take six to eight weeks, according to SNY’s Chelsea Janes. Vientos tried to stay in the game but eventually had to leave.
This is just the latest gut punch in a season that’s been full of them for Queens. The Mets are 40-54, 12 games out of the final Wild Card spot, and frankly playing out the string at this point. President of baseball operations David Stearns has been focused on seeing which homegrown guys can stick. Vientos was supposed to be one of them.
Instead he’s hitting .211 with 11 homers and a .644 OPS across 254 plate appearances. That’s a long way from last year when he put up an .837 OPS with 27 dingers and looked like a real building block. Back-to-back disappointing seasons have made that breakout feel like ancient history.
Vientos is 26 and versatile enough to play first, third or DH. But the power just hasn’t shown up consistently. Before the injury he was already pressing. Now he’s got eight weeks of rehab ahead — basically the rest of the season wiped out.
At least the Mets won the game. They beat Kansas City 7-3 on Thursday night. That doesn’t change much about where this roster is headed, which is nowhere fast. But when Vientos finally gets back, there’s still something to play for: a chance to prove he belongs in the long-term plan.
For now he’s in a splint watching from the dugout. The 2017 second-round pick has time to bounce back, but let’s be real. The Mets front office is probably already looking at external options for power help next winter.
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