MIAMI — Brett Baty was removed from the Mets’ series opener with the Marlins in the middle of the second inning after appearing to tweak his side during the opening frame.
The Mets third baseman grimaced on a swing during his first at-bat against Sandy Alcantara and again after converting the final out of the first inning. The Mets announced that Baty left the game with right side soreness.
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Baty was replaced in the game at third base by Ronny Mauricio.
Over the last two days, Carlos Mendoza has lauded Baty’s consistency in the field at third and second base and at the plate. That trust was enough to earn Baty a start against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga on Thursday night and the Mets infielder repaid the favor with a three-run home run in the team’s 8-5 win.
“A little bit of everything – defense, offense, at-bats against lefties, ability to make adjustments and when he struggles, not letting those struggles affect him for a long period of time,” Mendoza said of Baty’s biggest strides this season. “It’s a walk here, a hit here, making adjustments, there’s a lot of positives from him.”
That progress would make an extended absence from Baty a big one.
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This season, the 25-year-old is slashing .254/.313/.435 with 18 home runs, 50 RBI, 53 runs and 13 doubles. Entering Friday night’s game, Baty posted a .872 OPS with seven home runs, 16 RBI and 24 runs in 41 games since the calendar turned to August.
Without the availability of the left-handed hitting Baty, Mauricio would figure to see more time against right-handed pitching due to Mark Vientos’ recent defensive struggles. Vientos would be likely to slot in against lefties.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Brett Baty exits with injury in NY Mets game vs Marlins