When the Mets optioned Brett Baty to the minors after Jeff McNeil returned from the IL, it came at an inopportune time for the young infielder.
After a slow start to the 2025 season, in which the left-hander broke camp with the team, Baty started to look more comfortable at the plate. Baty reached base in four of his final five games and hit a monstrous two-run shot off Zack Wheeler in the Mets' eventual 4-3 win over the Phillies on April 23 -- his final game before being optioned.
"Just roster crunch and a lot of lefties on the bench," Baty, speaking with the media before Tuesday's game, said of the team's reason for optioning him. The Mets also told him that they wanted him to get regular at-bats and playing time, something he would not see behind McNeil, Jesse Winker and others.
"They told me to keep doing what I have been doing the past couple of weeks," Baty said of the Mets' message after being optioned. "And pick up where I left off."
And that's exactly what Baty did.
In his three games with Syracuse, Baty went 3-for-10 with two doubles and three RBI. Baty would only get three games with the Triple-A affiliate thanks to a toe injury that he suffered on an "awkward" swing, but with that ailment behind him, the young infielder is ready to "help the team win at all costs" after the injury to Winker opened up a spot for Baty.
And although he isn't in Tuesday's starting lineup, Baty will be a left-handed option off the bench where he'll try and make an impact.
“It definitely helps having him back,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday. “He can play some second, some third, another lefty bat for us. That allows me to move some guys around not only when I’m writing out the lineup, but when we’re making in-game moves as well.”
“I’m just trying to come back up here and pick up where I left off,” Baty said.