Brett Baty injury update: Mets manager confident that red-hot third baseman will return to lineup soon

Brett Baty may not be the top-performing third baseman in the league, but right now, he is all the New York Mets have. As such, the health status of the 24-year-old is of heightened importance.

During the fifth inning of the Mets' contest against the Pirates on April 15, Baty fielded a routine ground ball. However, after lunging forward, the third baseman reported discomfort in his hamstring and was removed from the game in the following inning.

While some fans feared the worst, new indications from Mets manager Carlos Mendoza have assuaged those doubts. According to Mendoza, Baty felt "better" on Wednesday. Additionally, the first-year skipper claimed that "early reports are encouraging."

"Brett Baty came into Citi Field "better" today after leaving last night's game with hamstring tightness: "The early reports are encouraging" - SNY

A first-round pick by the New York Mets in 2019, the 2022 season was Brett Baty's first year in MLB. The following year, the Mets traded then-third baseman Eduardo Escobar to the Los Angeles Angels, paving the way for Baty to take over at the hot corner.

Despite his 6-foot-3 frame and solid performances in the minor leagues over before breaking into MLB, Baty struggled in his first season with the Mets. In 108 games, the Texas-native hit .212/.275/.323 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs. Additionally, Baty's ten errors at third base left him with the third most in baseball relative to the number of games played.

"Brett Baty was asked how frustrating it was to tweak his hamstring while swinging a hot bat at the plate: "I'm just glad I caught it early. I don't think it's much right now"" - SNY

Although his 2023 campaign could undoubtedly have been better, the 24-year-old seems to have made the nessecary adjustments this season. In 17 games, Baty is hitting .309, and recorded the first multi-RBI game of his career against the Kansas City Royals on April 12.

Brett Baty is intent on returning to action as soon as possible

Last July, Baty was confronted with a similar injury, but did not miss any time. Determined not to go on the injured list, Baty took to the field in Queens for some exercises ahead of the Mets' series finale against the Pirates on Wednesday, and told Yahoo Sports:

"I was doing a little bit of running at third base in between the innings out there just to see how it felt and definitely just putting force in, I felt it a little bit. Other than that, it felt good."

The way Brett Baty has been swinging the bat, there is no doubt that Mets fans are hoping for a timely recovery.