The New York Mets have the best record in baseball at 18-8, and that’s with former batting champion Jeff McNeil (oblique) having only played one game thus far. The 33-year-old went 1-for-4 in his season debut against the Washington Nationals on Friday after getting reinstated from the 10-day IL on Wednesday.

The Mets optioned fellow infielder Brett Baty to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move despite the 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pounder recording a .993 OPS in his last eight games. He also hit a two-run homer in his most recent appearance, which was a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

New York manager Carlos Mendoza admitted on Friday that it wasn’t easy to send Baty down, via SNY.

“It’s a different feeling for him now going back to Triple-A, knowing [he] can play at this level as opposed to struggles,” he said. “We’re sending [him] because there’s not going to be enough playing time. He’ll be back.”

Baty has hits in six of his last nine games.

Carlos Mendoza said it was “not an easy” talk with Brett Baty

“It’s a different feeling for him now going back to Triple-A, knowing [he] can play at this level as opposed to struggles. We’re sending [him] because there’s not going to be enough playing time. He’ll be back” pic.twitter.com/pAbllXHIfU

Carlos Mendoza said it was "not an easy" talk with Brett Baty

"It's a different feeling for him now going back to Triple-A, knowing [he] can play at this level as opposed to struggles. We're sending [him] because there's not going to be enough playing time. He'll be back" pic.twitter.com/pAbllXHIfU

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 25, 2025

The 25-year-old debuted for the Mets in 2022 but played his first full season in ’23, slashing .212/.275/.323 with nine homers and 34 RBI over 108 games. He then slashed .229/.306/.327 with four homers and 16 RBI in 50 contests last year.

New York lost 5-4 on Friday thanks to a walkoff single by Nationals outfielder James Wood. Ace pitcher Kodai Senga allowed just two runs in six innings, but the bullpen couldn’t close the deal in the ninth after the Mets scored four in the eighth.