Mark Vientos starts at first base, Pete Alonso to get MRI – The Denver Post

ATLANTA — Pete Alonso is still encouraged by the left wrist contusion prognosis, but the Mets are playing it safe and sending him back to New York for further testing.

Alonso, who was hit in the wrist by a throw from Atlanta Braves right-hander Charlie Morton on Wednesday night, underwent a CT scan before leaving Atlanta on Thursday and is scheduled for an MRI in New York. The Mets want their own doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery to evaluate their slugger, but the hope is that he can meet the team in Pittsburgh this weekend for a three-game series.

“Talking to Pete during the game on the field and talking to him after the game, I knew he wasn’t going to play today,” manager Buck Showalter said Thursday before the series finale between the Mets. and the Braves at Truist Park. “He was quite sore. The analysis was planned here. As far as I know, it is still encouraged.

Mark Vientos made his first start at first base in place of Alonso. The rookie played a considerable number of first bases in the minor leagues, moving to make room for Brett Baty at third base. Vientos mainly played first base during spring training. Vientos will also play Thursday, which would indicate the Mets don’t expect to get Alonso back until Saturday, at the earliest.

“It’s not something he doesn’t know about,” Showalter said. “We just hope he can somehow start and give us some help offensively.”

The Mets recently favored Daniel Vogelbach over Vientos as their designated hitter, but Vogelbach is hitting just .203 this season with two home runs, but only .083 with 13 strikeouts in the last 15 games (3 for 36 in 44 plate appearances). Showalter has come under fire for favoring the struggling slugger, but the lineup isn’t exactly a decision reserved for managers. The Mets gave Vogelbach a chance to show he could hit with the same power he did last season, but ultimately he couldn’t show it.

At some point, the Mets may have to consider whether they’re better off without Vogelbach, especially if it means getting another bullpen arm. How to proceed with Vientos is another question the Mets need to answer soon, but for at least a few more days they have a place to play him.

Vientos has only played 12 games since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on May 17 and has had only limited opportunities to play at home plate. He made a start at third base for Colorado two weeks ago. It’s hard for a developing player to have such a minimal role, but the 23-year-old homegrown player is doing what he can to stay ready.

“I just try to take every day like I’m playing,” Vientos recently told the Daily News. “I try to keep everything the same and be consistent. The only way my game will be consistent is if my routine is consistent.

Vientos works daily at third base and first base, in addition to his work in the nets. He’s only hit .188 since the call, but he’s shown flashes of the power the Mets saw when they selected him in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

“You can’t sit still just because you’re not playing,” Vientos said. “You have to try to improve, try to move.”

Alonso, who leads the league with 22 homers, is still considered day-to-day. The Mets did not provide an update after the 13-10 loss at Atlanta, with Showalter saying he would let general manager Billy Eppler handle further updates.

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