Mark Vientos was left out of the Mets’ lineup for the second straight game against his wishes.
Still, Vientos became the team’s designated hitter in place of J.D. Martinez, who was forced to leave Tuesday night’s game against the Athletics after being hit in the left elbow.
The third baseman missed Sunday’s brutal 12-1 loss to the Mariners because of a sore left ankle.
Mendoza also predicted Vientos will play in Wednesday’s game.
“He’s looking good,” Mendoza said before the Mets began their nine-game home series. “He really wanted to start, but he was out of the starting lineup on Sunday, so we wanted to see him work through pregame drills. Hopefully, everything goes well and he’s a starter off the bench tomorrow, so that’s a good sign.”
Vientos injured his left ankle when he was hit by a foul ball during a game against the Angels on August 4.
Mendoza said he would monitor Vientos’ condition day-to-day after he sat out Sunday. With Monday off, Vientos had more than 48 hours of rest.
Jose Iglesias started Tuesday’s game at third base and batted eighth in the order.
Vientos, 24, was Brett Batey’s backup in 2023 but has found himself in a more stable, promising role with the Mets this season.
The Mets pushed Batty into the starting rotation before he was likely ready after he struggled last season, bouncing between the minors and majors.
Third base remained an unanswered question even after the season ended.
After initially losing his third base position to Batty in spring training this year, Vientos appears to be the answer for the Mets.
Vientos’ performance has improved dramatically since being promoted to Queens in May and has been consistent ever since, leaving little hope for Syracuse’s Batty.
Vientos entered Tuesday’s game batting .270 with an .859 OPS in 70 games, a big jump from last season when he batted .211 with a .620 OPS in 65 games.
Vientos struggled in seven games played during his most recent 10-game trip.
He had four hits in 28 at-bats, one home run, five strikeouts and a .494 OPS, but the Mets went 4-6.
