With the recent moves made by David Stearns and the Mets, the team’s starting lineup has finally come into focus. As everyone’s positions and roles have become more clear as a result, so has the bench situation for the Mets, and it’s looking to be a fairly strong group, though the DH position is one of the few places that still could be open to some interpretation for New York.
Last year, the Mets relied heavily on Starling Marte (when healthy) to man the DH spot, and with Mark Vientos’ subpar defense, he spent a lot of his time DHing as well. The bench mostly consisted of younger guys like Brett Baty, the now-traded Luisangel Acuña, and Ronny Mauricio taking turns shuffling between the minors and majors depending on their play. In addition, guys like Jared Young got a lot of playing time with the Mets. Behind the plate, Luis Torrens mostly manned the bench spot held set aside for the backup catcher, though Hayden Senger spent a lot of time in the majors as well when Torrens was filling in for an injured Francisco Alvarez.
This year, the DH spot is likely to be split between Baty and Vientos, neither of whom necessarily has a set position with the club. Stearns alluded to Baty getting a lot of time at a number of positions, something Joel Sherman’s recent article referenced, so you can expect to see Baty get some reps at third, second, and even a lot of action in left field, depending on how Carson Benge impresses in spring training and whether the club wants him to get some more time in the minors. However, if he’s still on the team come Opening Day, DH also makes a lot of sense. Vientos, meanwhile, doesn’t really have a home anywhere else. He’ll probably be expected to pick up a first baseman’s glove this year and could split time with Jorge Polanco (another guy who could spend some time at DH). However, should Vientos remain a Met, DH makes the most sense for him, since his bat is more valuable than his glove.
The Mets will also likely use the DH spot to give some guys a breather from the field. The club will probably try to get Juan Soto some at-bats at DH when they want to rest him in the field, and the same could go for Bo Bichette, who is learning a new position at third. Should Alvarez’s bat finally progress like the club is expecting, he would also be a solid candidate to start a game or so a week at DH, in order to keep his bat in the lineup while giving the defensively-superior Torrens some reps behind the plate.
As for the bench, the team will carry four guys (13 pitchers: six starters and seven relievers; 13 position players: nine starters and four bench players). Torrens has an automatic spot on the bench (with Senger serving as the emergency catcher on the 40-man roster, and Austin Barnes waiting to battle it out in spring training). From there, one of Vientos or Baty (whoever is not serving as Designated Hitter) also has a guaranteed spot on the bench. That leaves two openings: One for a fourth outfielder, and one for a utility player. On the former, Tyrone Taylor, now relegated to the bench after the Luis Robert Jr. trade, is going to be the main guy on the bench and see plenty of action (as mentioned, Baty will also get his chance in the outfield, especially in left).
That leaves one spot remaining to fill. The club recently acquired Vidal Bruján in a trade with the Twins, and as he played almost every position last season for Minnesota, he couple be a valuable asset for New York. He was a former top-100 prospect, but he has not enjoyed anything remotely resembling success in the majors. To date, he has hit .199/.267/.276 with five home runs, 16 stolen bases, and a 54 wRC+ over parts of the past five seasons. Nick Morabito is on the 40-man, but that was mostly to protect him from the Rule V draft, and there’s little chance he snags a spot on the Opening Day roster.
So there are basically two options to compete with Bruján right now: Jared Young and Ronny Mauricio. Young hit .186/.234/.488 with four home runs in 43 at-bats last season. Young brings a lot of potential power, which is demonstrated in the fact that four of his eight hits left the yard. However, he doesn’t provide much beyond that, as his hitting overall is hardly something to write home about, and he’s mostly someone who would play outfield and DH, though he could see a little time at first two. That leaves Mauricio, who struggled in his first season back from a torn ACL. He hit .226/.293/.369 with six home runs in 168 at-bats for New York last year. Mauricio can play a number of positions, including second, third, and short, but with Baty around, he may be seen as redundant and not worthy of a roster spot. He also has an option left, so stashing him in Triple-A to start the year makes the most sense for the club as opposed to DFAing one of the other players.
The Mets could still acquire someone to play left field instead of rolling with Baty or Benge (they have been linked to guys like Lars Nootbar via trade and Austin Hays via free agency so far), which could change the equation in terms of the DH and bench spots. However, as things stand today, you can expect Baty and Vientos to split the DH duties on most days, and the bench to consist of whomever is not DHing, alongside Torrens, Taylor, and either Bruján, Young, or Mauricio. The safe bet is for Mauricio to start the year in Triple-A, giving Young and Bruján the leg up, unless the team makes another move to fortify their bench. All that said, you could make a case that the team’s bench is in a better spot than last year, while the production they receive at DH depends largely on how well Vientos rebounds from a rough 2025 (or how well Baty progresses at the plate after an up-and-down 2025 campaign).