Batting slumps don’t check the team schedule, and Mark Vientos has picked a brutal time for another one. His bat has gone quiet again, leaving the New York Mets with a tough decision at the worst possible time. A sub-.700 OPS and streaky at-bats are tough enough in June, but in September they start to feel like sandbags tied to a team trying to sprint to the finish.
August teased something different, a stretch where Vientos looked like he was finally settling in and giving the Mets a much-needed boost. For a moment, it seemed like the tide had turned.