Mets Option Luis Guillorme to Make Room for Mark Vientos
After reports circulated this morning that the Mets were set to call up slugger Mark Vientos from Triple-A Syracuse, the question was what the team would do as a corresponding move. The Mets announced it will be utility infielder Luis Guillorme being sent down to Triple-A Syracuse in exchange for Vientos.
The Mets were in a tough spot in terms of roster crunch, but they are in desperate need of offense, and Vientos has been tearing it up in Syracuse. Unfortunately for Guillorme, he was one of the few logical options for position players to get sent down, as the Mets surely did not want to send down a pitcher and he is one of their only non-regulars with options. While they will miss his defensive ability and versatility, this team needs to prioritize its offense right now, and he does not contribute much in that department.
While Vientos has his limitations defensively, his bat should provide an immediate boost to what has become an anemic Mets’ offense. Vientos has been dominating the International League this season, slugging 333/.416/.688 with 11 doubles, 13 homers, and 37 RBIs.
Vientos figures to plug-in immediately in a DH role. He is also capable of playing third and first base if needed in a pinch, and has also had limited experience as an outfielder.
This may move Daniel Vogelbach to a bench role, as it would not make sense to call up Vientos and start him only against left-handed pitchers. However, SNY’s Andy Martino does note that Vientos’ playing time will ultimately be up to Buck Showalter, and we’ve seen Showalter be conservative initially with playing time for both Brett Baty and Francisco Álvarez after they were called-up this season.
The Mets may not be done yet with their call-ups. With Guillorme sent down, Eduardo Escobar becomes the only likely backup shortstop to Francisco Lindor on the major-league roster. This could lead to the team calling up utilityman Danny Mendick at some point, but the roster crunch could once again become an issue. Ronny Mauricio is also on option, as he too has been destroying Triple-A pitching. Gary Sánchez has an opt-out in his contract in the coming days, so the Mets will also need to make decision on if they want to bring him up to be the backup catcher over Michael Perez, who went 4-4 in his only start thus far this season.
Regardless, the Mets clearly realize their season is beginning to slip away, and the lineup’s lack of power has been a significant reason why. If Vientos is able to add another power pat behind Pete Alonso, it should give the Mets a chance to score more runs as they attempt to claw back up the standings.
Source: metsmerizedonline.com
