MLB Rumors: Marmol hot seat, Red Sox conflict brewing, Mets botch Alonso return
MLB Rumors: Mets botch Pete Alonso return by optioning Mark Vientos
Whenever Pete Alonso was put on the IL after a hit-by-pitch against the rival Braves that left him with a sprained wrist, the expectation was that the New York Mets slugger would be on the shelf until at least July with a loose timetable for returning of three weeks.
Just 11 days after the initial injury, though, the Mets activated Alonso from the 10-day IL and he was in the lineup for the Sunday matinee at Citi Field against the Cardinals.
Make no mistake, getting Alonso back into the lineup is huge for New York as the club tries desperately to avoid falling too far out of the NL East race. But the corresponding move with Alonso being activated is a complete miscalculation and misfire on the part of the Mets as they optioned Mark Vientos back to Triple-A to make room for the All-Star first baseman.
INF Pete Alonso has been reinstated from the 10-Day IL.
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 18, 2023
INF Mark Vientos has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Admittedly, Vientos struggled in limited time in the majors, slashing just .178/.224/.244 in 16 games and over 48 plate appearances for the Mets. Having said that, the fact that he got into only 16 games since being called up in mid-May is the bigger issue.
Vientos was absolutely raking in Triple-A Syracuse before getting called up, slashing .333/.416/.688 with 13 home runs and 11 doubles over just 38 games before getting called up to Citi Field. He’s clearly one of the club’s top hitters in the system and appears ready for big-league action.
So for the Mets to option him back to Triple-A while not giving him a real chance to see a consistent role and get into a groove at the MLB level seems like a complete botch job on the part of the organization. It’s extremely difficult for a young player getting his first taste of the bigs and major-league pitching to perform when he’s constantly out of rhythm due to lack of playing time.
And with the decision to keep a player like Luis Gillorme on the roster over someone with the potential of Vientos just comes off as complete mismanagement of the situation.