It’s Too Early to Worry About Mets' Mark Vientos

Why it's way too early to be worried about Mets infielder/DH Mark Vientos who has struggled in Grapefruit League play so far.

Feb 17, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) gets ready to bat during the New York Mets spring training workouts at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are hoping that infielder/DH Mark Vientos bounces back in 2026 after a disappointing season last year.

Vientos, fresh off a breakout campaign in 2024, struggled immensely and lost the starting third base job. In 121 games, Vientos slashed just .233/.289/.413 with a .702 OPS, 17 home runs and a -0.2 bWAR. Vientos' defense was atrocious as well, posting negative seven Outs Above Average at third base.

These factors resulted in lost playing time to Brett Baty at the hot corner.

Fast forward to this offseason where the Mets brought in Bo Bichette to play third, displacing both Baty and Vientos. This means Vientos' best path to seeing the field is at first base and/or DH.

Looking for a rebound this season, Vientos did not hit well in Grapefruit League play, going 1-for-13 (.077) with a well-struck double. However, it's way too early to worry about Vientos' production in spring games.

He now heads to the World Baseball Classic to play for Team Nicaragua. How he hits for them could provide optimism or pessimism. But the only thing that matters is how Vientos performs during the regular season.

Vientos and Baty are likely to split time at the DH spot with Jorge Polanco manning the first base position. It could either turn into a platoon situation or whoever is producing more claims the job.

Receiving the 2024 version of Vientos would certainly help fill the void left in the middle of the lineup by the departure of Pete Alonso. That is the Vientos, who smashed 27 homers and slashed .266/.322/.516 with a .837 OPS and 3.1 bWAR in 111 games.

Looking Ahead

Feb 17, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) fields ground balls during the New York Mets spring training workouts at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The 26-year-old is out to prove that he is still a part of the Mets' long-term plans this season. But should he falter again, it would result in loss of playing time like a year ago.

The Mets now have a much more crowded infield given the additions of Bichette and Polanco. Vientos is going to have to hit his way into the lineup and DH is the most obvious way he can do so.

Vientos didn't get off to a strong start this spring with his 1-for-13 stretch in Grapefruit League games. But it's still too early to panic about a slugger who looked like a future star not long ago.

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