New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty is on the bench on Monday against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Baty will take a seat against Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon in favor of Mark Vientos, who hit a walk-off home run to help the club beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Vientos is hitting seventh for the Mets on Monday. Baty is also slumping, going 3-for-25 in his last nine games to drop his season line to .256/.322/.317 in his first 82 at-bats. The 24-year-old has added just one home run, nine RBI and nine runs scored. Vientos, who made his season debut with the Mets over the weekend, went 3-for-4 with the game-winning home run and two RBI in his first two games played. It's been a nice start, but playing time is going to be hard to come by for Vientos as long as J.D. Martinez stays healthy.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) will remain out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The young corner infielder has been sidelined since being forced out of Tuesday's game. The organization is hopeful to avoid a stint on the injured list. Baty was able to get through a full workout prior to Friday's game. It sounds like he is making progress, but isn't quite ready to play yet. It'll be Joey Wendle at third base and batting ninth versus right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Friday.

The New York Mets are "very optimistic" that third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) will avoid the injured list after being pulled from Tuesday's game with a tight left hamstring. Baty came in on Wednesday feeling better than Tuesday night. "I think it just scared me," Baty said. He should be back in the lineup within a few days but is out on Wednesday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team has an off day on Thursday before starting a series on Friday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, so fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if Baty is feeling good enough to play. With Baty resting on Wednesday, Zack Short is starting at third base and is hitting in the nine-hole for the Mets against Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter.

The New York Mets announced that third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) left Tuesday's game versus the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates due to tightness in his left hamstring. He went 0-for-2 before veteran infielder Joey Wendle replaced him at third base. It's a tough break for the 24-year-old former top prospect, who is batting a strong .305 (18-for-59) with one home run, nine RBI, and seven runs scored over 17 games this season. With very little infield depth in Queens, Wendle and Zack Short would figure to form a platoon for at-bats at the hot corner if Baty needs to miss additional time following Tuesday's departure. Neither of the two have done enough this season to be worth speculative fantasy adds at the moment. Consider Baty day-to-day ahead of Wednesday's series finale against Pittsburgh.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals. Baty has impressed in the early going with a .302 average and nine RBI, but he will get a day off with left-hander Cole Ragans on the mound for the Royals. Zack Short will get the start at third base and bat eighth in Baty's absence. Short owns a career slash line of .175/.267/.308 and is not a recommended fantasy option in any format.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty and infielder Zack Short have made the Opening Day roster, with designated hitter Mark Vientos and Ji Man Choi to start the year in the minor leagues. Especially with Vientos out of the picture in Queens to start the year, it's likely that Baty will receive everyday playing time for the Mets at the hot corner. The 24-year-old former first-round pick in 2019 has struggled so far in his first two major-league seasons, slashing .210/.272/.325 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI in 119 games and 431 trips to the plate. Much like Vientos, he has raked in the minors but hasn't been able to translate that success offensively to the majors. It means that Baty is going to need to perform in 2024 to avoid being put in a platoon situation at third base.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty took to video scouting of himself after his rookie season to get a better sense of what went wrong in 2023 and how he can fix it. "My top hand was a huge thing. I just needed to get that stronger and really just try to be more direct with the top hand," Baty said. He hit just .212 with a .275 on-base percentage and .323 slugging percentage in a rookie season that saw him get demoted to the minors at one point. Despite his struggles, the 24-year-old will be given every chance to win the majority of playing time at third base this spring, especially with Ronny Mauricio (knee) out for the year. Baty will be hoping to keep his bat in the strike zone longer and produce fewer groundballs. He'll need to improve against offspeed pitches and against left-handers in order to improve in his sophomore season.

New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said that the team will have "some level of competition" at third base during spring training, but also that they are confident in Brett Baty. Stearns also mentioned Mark Vientos, Joey Wendle and Zack Short. Baty, 24, won't have to contend with infield prospect Ronny Mauricio (knee), who tore the ACL in his right knee playing winter ball, but he still will have to earn his playing time at the hot corner in New York in his second full season in the big leagues. The left-handed slugger hit the ball hard at Triple-A last year but struggled to a .212/.275/.323 slash line with nine homers, 34 RBI and 109 strikeouts in 389 plate appearances with the Mets. Wendle probably poses the biggest threat to everyday playing time for Baty, who is going to need to improve against offspeed pitches to take the next step offensively in the majors.

New York Mets rookies Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty finished last year as the team's primary options at third base, and the new Mets regime is taking the approach that both players are in the mix for the position again in 2024. However, president of baseball operations David Stearns is challenging both Mauricio and Baty to improve defensively. Baty became the starting third baseman three weeks into the season but was sent to Triple-A Syracuse in August after struggling offensively and defensively. Mauricio moved from shortstop to second base to left field at Syracuse before debuting with the Mets in September. He played five games at the hot corner in the big leagues. The 22-year-old will see more time at third in the Dominican Winter League. Mauricio has more versatility and is the superior offensive player in the long term for the Mets.

New York Mets rookie third baseman Brett Baty (groin) is back at third base and is hitting seventh on Wednesday against the Miami Marlins and right-hander Eury Perez. Baty's return moves infield prospect Ronny Mauricio over to second base and the six-hole. Jeff McNeil is starting in left field and batting fifth. Baty returns to the Mets' lineup after missing almost a full week with a mild left-groin strain. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter has really struggled in his first full season at the major-league level in 2023, slashing .212/.282/.314 with seven home runs, 11 doubles, 29 RBI and 35 runs in 97 games played. Since returning on Sept. 1 when rosters expanded, Baty has just six hits in 34 at-bats (.177) with no homers, two RBI and 12 strikeouts in 11 games (10 starts).

New York Mets rookie third baseman Brett Baty (groin) left Wednesday's game early against the Arizona Diamondbacks with left-groin soreness, according to the team. Baty didn't record a hit in his previous five games, but he managed to go 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk on Wednesday before being pulled due to his injury. If Baty needs to miss time due to his injury, The Athletic's Will Sammon thinks it will be interesting to see if rookie shortstop Ronny Mauricio would get a look at the hot corner the rest of the way. The 23-year-old Baty will undergo tests on Thursday that will give us a better idea of whether he'll be able to play again in 2023. Baty has had a tough year and was optioned to the minors for a while. He came into Wednesday's game with a .207 average with seven home runs, 29 RBI and 33 runs scored at the big-league level in 96 games this year.

New York Mets rookie third baseman Brett Baty will rejoin the team when rosters expand on Friday, according to sources. Baty will be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse after struggling to the tune of a .216/.289/.331 slash line with seven home runs, 11 doubles, 27 RBI, 86 strikeouts and 33 runs scored in 86 games (311 plate appearances) earlier this year in the big leagues. The 23-year-old looked good at Syracuse, though, hitting .298 (31-for-104) with 10 homers and 31 RBI in 26 games, and he should get some run down the stretch with the Mets playing out the string in a disappointing 2023 campaign. The young left-handed hitter should at least see semi-regular playing time against right-handers while handling the hot corner for the Mets.

The New York Mets optioned third baseman Brett Baty to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday. With Baty sent down amid his struggles at the plate, it will likely mean more playing time for Mark Vientos at the hot corner in Queens. The 23-year-old Baty is hitting just .216/.289/.331 with seven home runs, 27 RBI and 33 runs scored in 278 at-bats for the Mets in his second MLB season. He only saw action in 11 games in 2022. Since July 1, the young left-handed hitter has gone 13-for-87 (.149) with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI, 32 strikeouts, one stolen base and eight runs scored in 28 games (25 starts). Assuming he can figure some things out in the minors, Baty should return for the non-contending Mets in September.

New York Mets infielder Brett Baty is back in the starting lineup Thursday afternoon against the Washington Nationals and right-hander Josiah Gray. Baty didn't start the Subway Series finale against the Yankees on Thursday but struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance after he struck out three times across five hitless plate appearances on Tuesday night. The 23-year-old is clearly struggling at the plate right now but hasn't hit much in the big leagues this season. Baty is sitting with a .230 average with seven home runs, two stolen bases, and a .643 OPS across 76 appearances on the season. He remains a dynasty league asset but can be safely set aside in redraft leagues.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the San Diego Padres. The left-handed slugger missed Thursday's contest due to left hamstring soreness. It sounds like Baty is being considered day-to-day right now. Honestly, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Mets give Baty a few more days off with the All-Star break next week. Luis Guillorme will cover third base and bat ninth versus right-hander Yu Darvish on Friday.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) missed Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks due to hamstring soreness. According to Mets manager Buck Showalter, Baty might be available off the bench. The 23-year-old is considered day-to-day. His next chance to return to the lineup is Friday against the Padres. Baty is slashing .250/.319/.363 with five home runs, 21 RBI, and two stolen bases across 226 plate appearances in 2023. Luis Guillorme is batting ninth and will handle third base duties in Thursday's game. Guillorme should see an uptick in playing time while Baty is sidelined but is not on the fantasy radar after hitting .244 with a homer and seven RBI over 41 games in 2023.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty is not seen in Thursday's lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Luis Guillorme will defend the hot corner and bat ninth against Tommy Henry. Baty has not impressed overall during his second big-league stint after a brief taste of the action late last season. In 2023, the 23-year-old is slashing a nondescript .250/.319/.363 with five home runs, 21 RBI, and two stolen bases across 204 at-bats. Baty's role in Queens should be safe for now with the Mets recently trading away Eduardo Escobar, but Ronny Mauricio is waiting patiently in the wings for a call-up.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty is not in the lineup on Monday against left-hander Patrick Corbin and the Washington Nationals. It's the third time in the last four games that Baty has started on the bench for the Mets against a southpaw. The 23-year-old is hitting better against lefties, though, than against righties so far in 2023. In 19 plate appearances against southpaws, he's gone 5-for-18 (.278) with a double and a solo home run while striking out only twice. Baty has struggled so far in May, going 8-for-45 (.178) with two doubles, a homer and four RBI in 13 games played. Eduardo Escobar will take his spot at the hot corner on Monday and will hit eight in the batting order against Corbin.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty is back in the starting lineup on Friday and is starting at third base and batting sixth against Colorado Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela (knee), who is making his 2023 debut. Baty is slowly rising up the Mets batting order as he continues to hit well in just 14 games in his second big-league season with the team. He has gone 14-for-45 (.311) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI and five runs scored in 49 plate appearances. The 23-year-old sat out against a left-handed pitcher on Thursday, but he's been seeing more playing time against southpaws lately as well. Baty has lots of fantasy upside and has a very appealing matchup in his return to the lineup Friday.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty is not in Thursday's starting lineup against the Detroit Tigers and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Baty has performed nicely in his first 14 games with the Mets so far in 2023, hitting .311 (14-for-45) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI and five runs scored, but he'll take a seat in this one for a day of rest against a southpaw. Fantasy managers need to put him on their benches. With Baty out, Eduardo Escobar will draw the start at the hot corner and hit eighth against Rodriguez. Escobar is hitting just .172 (10-for-58) in the early going with two doubles, a triple, three home runs and nine RBI in 18 games played, and he won't have much DFS appeal in the eight-hole.