Brett Baty called up from minors by Mets, source says
Brett Baty of the Mets celebrates his third-inning home run against the Rockies at Citi Field on Aug. 26, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
OAKLAND, Calif. — Brett Baty’s time has arrived — again.
The Mets will promote Baty, a third baseman and one of the best-hitting prospects in all of baseball, from the minors on Monday when they open a series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, a source said. It will be his second time in the majors, following his cameo last summer.
Baty, 23, impressed team officials during spring training, albeit not enough to win a spot on the season-opening roster.
Instead, they demoted him to Syracuse, where he tore up Triple-A pitching for all of nine games. That, combined with the struggles of incumbent third baseman Eduardo Escobar, inspired Mets decision-makers to change their minds.
“He deserves everything he’s getting right now, now that he’s getting called up,” Escobar told Newsday through an interpreter. “He’s put in the work. He deserves to come up here and play and do what he does, because he’s that good of a player. He’s the future of this team.”
Francisco Alvarez, a fellow top prospect and a teammate of Baty since their first professional season in 2019, said through an interpreter: “I’m excited to see him. And it gives me that confidence and that comfort to have someone that I’ve been around for so long. I consider him a brother, so I’m really excited for him to come up here and help the team.”
It wasn’t clear whom the Mets will remove from the roster to open a spot. Manager Buck Showalter declined to comment on Baty’s call-up because the Mets had not made it official.
Asked about Escobar’s role if he is not the regular third baseman, Showalter said: “I’m not going there. He’s starting today. He’s our starting third baseman today. Simple as that. He’s a big contributor here on and off the field and we’ll continue to make use of his skills.”
Escobar, though, is prepared to take on a lesser role. He’s played all over the infield and even dabbled in the outfield in his 13 seasons in the majors.
“This isn’t the first time it’s happened in my career, where the team has asked me to do maybe multiple things during a season. So I’m happy to do that,” he said. “If Buck brings me into the office and tells me hey, I want you to play this position or I want you to hit here in the lineup, I don’t have a problem. As long as I’m playing, I’m OK.”
After getting a taste of the majors late last season, playing in 11 games before suffering a season-ending right thumb injury, Baty got off to a scorching start with Syracuse despite missing several days because of inflammation in that right thumb.
Baty had five home runs and 15 RBIs to go with his .400 average and 1.386 OPS.
Escobar, after going 1-for-4 in Sunday’s 4-3 victory in Oakland, is batting .125 with a .173 OBP and .229 slugging percentage through two-plus weeks. Showalter benched him in three games.
Escobar said he doesn’t know why he has hit so poorly.
“It’s gotten off to a slow start, but I’m not going to let 40 at-bats really determine what the season is going to be,” he said. “If I had the answer, I’d be able to tell you. I’m looking for that answer myself . . . If it’s dependent on the work that I do each and every day, I’d be batting .500. But sometimes you don’t get the results that you want.”
So now the Mets will give Baty a shot.
“Hopefully he can come up here and help the team,” Escobar said, “because we need him.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
