Mets most recent call up puts Brett Baty on the hot seat

There was bad news and good news for New York Mets third baseman Bett Baty on Tuesday.

The bad news was reports that the Mets are planning to call up Mark Vientos to challenge for Baty's spot as New York's everyday third baseman.

The good news was he isn't going to be sent down in a corresponding move.

The Mets plan to use both Vientos and Baty, according to Andy Martino of SNY, complicating the picture at third base because of Baty's disappointing performance so far this year. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout during Tuesday's loss to the Phillies.

Mark Vientos' call up threatens Brett Baty's job

Baty broke into MLB last year at 23 years old but he didn't exactly thrive. He slashed .212/.275/.323 with an OPS+ of 66 (league average is 100). He's improved this year with a slash live of .236/.299/.325 and an OPS+ of 83 but he's still one of the weakest hitters in the lineup. Over his last 15 at-bats, he's struck out eight times.

Vientos didn't do much better than Baty when he saw major league action last year but he looked great in the three games he's played so far this year. The sample size is way too low to be meaningful but batting .429/.429/.857 in the majors and then posting a .876 OPS with Triple-A Syracuse has the Mets curious.

It makes a whole lot of sense for the Mets to explore their options. A bit of competition could spark Baty into reaching his potential. Or Vientos could prove he's more deserving of the spot anyways.

Either way, Carlos Mendoza couldn't keep putting Baty out there and hoping something would change. He's had almost two months to get things going and they've only gotten worse. It's time to earn his keep.