3 reasons the NY Mets lineup may have Brett Baty at DH for the second straight game

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it is the mentality of the New York Mets in game two of the 2026 season. They’ll have the same exact lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday with the one questionable call from the opener still lingering: why is Brett Baty the DH?

The Mets regularly used Jeff McNeil as a DH despite him being average or above at several positions. Frustrating at times because it stole away from one of McNeil’s better qualities, they’re doing the same exact thing with Baty to begin the year.

On Opening Day, we understand it. In game two, it’s up to the fans to try to dissect the reasoning. Why is it that the team’s top utility player is, yet again, reserved for only DH duties?

Trying to find all of the reasons why Brett Baty is at DH again

1) Mark Vientos is far more likely to pinch hit for Brett Baty than anyone else

No matter how hard you wish upon a star, Mark Vientos is going to get his chances. The Mets won’t see too many left-handed pitchers to begin the year with Matthew Liberatore of the St. Louis Cardinals being the likeliest first candidate. Those scattered starts for Vientos will drastically limit his playing time as the only way to ever justify putting him in the lineup is if the Mets face a lefty starter.

What about off the bench? There aren’t too many lefties he’d pinch hit for. Carson Benge, perhaps, could come out of a game if matched against a tough southpaw reliever. The Mets also need to discover how well he can handle those situations. They know more about Baty against lefties, which isn’t bad. Swapping out Baty as the DH for Vientos in a pinch hitting spot late in games isn’t a brilliant way to plan things, but somewhat reasonable.

2) The Mets want to learn early what each corner infielder can bring

The Mets are still on a fact-finding mission with Jorge Polanco at first base and Bo Bichette at third base. The assumption has been Baty would play a lot of first base. Maybe not? Polanco getting two straight starts at least suggests they want to make him work over there. It would have been sensible enough to swap the two for the second game of the year. We’ll have to see in game three if, finally, they give the more seasoned veteran a half-day.

It’s not outrageous to see a scenario where Baty actually ends up at third base simply because Bichette cannot handle the position. Baty is a backup plan at numerous positions. So far, the Mets have been unwilling to let him do anything but swing a bat.

3) The Mets don’t trust Mark Vientos defensively anywhere

Leading back to the first point, maybe this is all about Vientos’ defense and their lack of faith in him at either corner infield position. If he’s going to get into a game, let it only be as a hitter. Nothing would stop the Mets from pinch hitting for Baty if he was the team’s starting first baseman with Vientos on the bench. This at least protects them from throwing Vientos out into the field.

We saw all three, Baty, Vientos, and Polanco, share first base duties this spring. The sample was way too small for any conclusions. Oddly, Vientos has the most regular season experience of any with a few appearances prior to 2026. Never particularly noteworthy or appearing to be a guy who could dazzle there, the decision to keep Baty at DH a little more regularly out of the gate might have as much to do with the team’s lack of faith in Vientos’ glove as anything. We know how important run prevention is.