PORT ST. LUCIE — Mark Vientos is heading back to the minor leagues and DJ Stewart may soon join him. Ji-Man Choi and Jose Iglesias have to decide whether they will follow them there as well.
The Mets made some key roster decisions before they defeated the Washington Nationals 10-1 in their final Grapefruit League game of the spring slate Sunday, informing Vientos and Choi that they would not make the team. Vientos was optioned to minor league camp and will begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse once again, a difficult turn of events given how excited he was when he came into camp.
Choi and infielder Jose Iglesias can opt out of their contracts but are leaning toward accepting minor league assigments. Third baseman Brett Baty and infielder Zack Short were informed they made the team.
“We have some players who are receiving good news this time of year and some players who aren’t receiving good news this time of year,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “I try to remind players, regardless of what side of the line they are on right now, we’re setting a roster for one day and rosters change rapidly over the course of the season.”
Here’s what went into the decisions the Mets made and what happens next.
REMAINING CANDIDATES
Final roster decisions will be made Wednesday when the Mets hold a workout at Citi Field. All 27 players in camp will travel to Tampa on Sunday. Currently, the Mets have too many pitchers. They’ll have to decide between right-handers Sean Reid-Foley and Yohan Ramirez. Both relievers are out of minor-league options.
“It’s how the stuff package fits into our pen,” Stearns said. “Balancing that versus length and the ability to bounce back. The ‘pen is this massive puzzle where you’re looking for something different from each guy. We try not to duplicate stuff packages as much as we can, we try to duplicate roles as much as we can to give [manager Carlos Mendoza] and our coaching staff a number of options to attack different lineups.”
WHY VIENTOS WAS SENT DOWN
With J.D. Martinez going through his spring progression for at least two weeks, there is a case to be made for Vientos starting the season with the big league club. But the Mets plan to rotate people through the right-handed DH spot until Martinez is ready. Vientos, Stearns said, has to play every day.
“What it came down to is playing every day in Triple-A right now ensuring we get the at-bats, combined with what we were going to see over the first couple of weeks of the season,” Stearns said. “This made the most sense in our opinion.”
Stearns insisted that it wasn’t a decision made because of anything Vientos did or didn’t do. The 24-year-old hit .232 with a .795 OPS and a team-leading five home runs in Grapefruit League play and was one of the first players to show up for camp. The work he put in did not go unnoticed. Vientos was frustrated when he was told, as Stearns and Mendoza figured he would be.
With Baty in the big leagues, Vientos will focus on third base in Syracuse.
“Just continue with his overall game,” Mendoza said of what Vientos was asked to work on in Triple-A. “Whether it’s defensively at third base with his pre-pitch ready position so he can have a better first step to the ball. Offensively, especially against righties, controlling the strike zone. There’s a lot of talent there and it’s going to come down to getting everyday reps.”
STEWART’S STATUS
The Mets’ left-handed DH candidate has not made the team, but he also hasn’t been cut. The Mets are waiting to see which candidates become available on the waiver wire.
“You’ve got to wait and see what happens in the next couple of days,” Mendoza said. “You know, there are a lot of teams now that are making decisions in their camp, and we’re always looking to see what’s out there. He has put himself in a really good position. We’re telling a lot of people that they’re not making the team today and he’s not one of them. So yeah, this is where we’re at right now.”
LONG STORY SHORT
The Mets chose to carry Zack Short because of his versatility. He’ll get “occasional” starts, according to Mendoza, but he’ll mostly be used as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner. The Mets aren’t worried about balancing playing time with Joey Wendle — the other utility infielder — because two versatile players on the bench allow Mendoza to manage aggressively early in the game.
“I’m pretty sure it will play itself out,” Mendoza said. “They’re both going to contribute to this team.”
