When will the Mets call up prospect Mark Vientos?

The New York Mets 40-man roster includes a lot of pitchers and only a small number of position players. Several of those position players are actually notable prospects. Among them, there’s Mark Vientos.

The 22-year-old slugger is beginning his 2022 campaign with the Syracuse Mets. This is where he finished up the 2021 season. Officially one level away from the major leagues, the Mets may call upon him earlier than expected for help.

Why is this? With so many limited options to potentially replace an injured infielder, Vientos could be the most logical addition the Mets make to the big league roster.

Mark Vientos can be on the Mets early on in 2022 if any of these 3 spots open up for him

The Mets probably wouldn’t promote Vientos to the major leagues to sit around on the bench. Travis Blankenhorn would have made more sense in this scenario but he was DFA'd before Opening Day and is no longer on the 40-man roster. After that transaction, it could now happen.

Vientos probably wouldn’t get promoted if an outfielder goes down if it means he's going to play a backup role. Khalil Lee or Nick Plummer would provide the team with better defensive abilities. The latter could only work if those two are slumping and Vientos is hitting out of his mind and the Mets want him to actually start regularly.

It’s second base, third base, and the DH spot we should pay attention to most. Any of those three spots could have a direct effect on when Vientos makes his major league debut.

At second base, the Mets should start with Jeff McNeil. If he goes down, they can go with Robinson Cano or even move Eduardo Escobar over there. The second option opens up third base for Vientos. The same is true if it’s Escobar that goes down with an injury. Luis Guillorme is a fine player but the Mets may want to give some of those starts to Vientos instead.

The DH is obvious. If that spot suddenly opens up, Vientos would fit in perfectly.

Vientos is the favorite among the club’s top prospects to make his MLB debut first. But, when he does, the Mets need to clear at-bats for him. Sitting around playing sparingly won’t do anything for him. Vientos needs to play. He’s a single injury away from getting his shot.