Mets' Brett Baty could be playing for his roster spot over the next week

New York Mets' infielder Brett Baty is off to a slow start at the plate, and may need to step up his game to keep a spot on the active roster.

Mar 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Mets second baseman Brett Baty (7) in action during the game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are off to a strong 8-3 start despite a relative lack of production from their offense, which has been as cold as the weather the tri-state area is experiencing for most of April. The good news for the Mets is that the unit could get some reinforcements soon with Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil closing in on rehab assignments.

According to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, Francisco Alvarez will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow and they are targeting Jeff McNeil to start his rehab assignment later this week pic.twitter.com/5REltuS3As

— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) April 8, 2025

While Alvarez will replace Hayden Senger on the active roster, who goes down for McNeil remains unclear at this point. Both Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña haven't done a ton offensively in the early going, with more of the fanbase's ire being directed towards Baty after his strong spring has failed to materialize into early results.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza stuck by Baty yesterday, telling reporters after the team's win over the Miami Marlins that Baty was "going through it right now, and he's going to have to continue to fight through it." Baty went 1-for-3 with a single in the game, but has just three hits in his first 24 at-bats with no RBI and nine strikeouts.

"He's going through it right now, and he's going to have to continue to fight through it."

Carlos Mendoza on Brett Baty's slow start to the season: pic.twitter.com/s67XBTTEmi

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 8, 2025

The primary decision would appear to be between Baty and Acuña, who have split playing time over the past week, but Acuña hasn't hit much either (3-for-19 with no RBI and five strikeouts). Each player has recorded one double and Acuña has scored four runs while Baty has none.

Read More: Injured New York Mets' second baseman ramping up rehab

Baty drew the start for Wednesday's matinee against the Marlins and will likely sit on Friday night with the A's throwing lefty J.P. Sears. If the pair continues to alternate playing time, the Mets will have a few considerations to weigh before making their final decision of who goes to Syracuse when McNeil is deemed ready to go.

Neither player has started strong enough to merit more than a bench role at the major league level, so the Mets have to consider whether Baty's left-handed bat off the bench would be more valuable than Acuña's presence as a backup shortstop. Baty is also older than Acuña (25 compared to 23), so it is fair to wonder whether Baty has any more room to grow compared to Acuña.

Sending Acuña down would offer him the benefit of playing every day for Triple-A Syracuse, while Baty could theoretically offer some pop off the bench. The idea of keeping Acuña as a pinch runner also isn't too useful when the Mets have several players who don't regularly start that could fill that role in Jose Siri, Starling Marte, and Tyrone Taylor.

The Mets' 8-3 start has offered them some cushion to let this situation play out. Whoever performs better over the next week could simply earn the bench spot out of merit. Either way, the decision of who to send down when McNeil is ready to go isn't as simple as the fan base thinks it will be.