Mets' Mark Vientos day-to-day with abdominal soreness, could be available off bench Saturday

After getting scratched from the lineup before Friday's game, Mets third baseman Mark Vientos is day-to-day with abdominal soreness, manager Carlos Mendoza said after the 7-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 13 innings.

However, the skipper gave another update on Saturday, saying Vientos has already begun swinging in the cages and could possibly be available off the bench after missing just one game.

"Mark was just getting done hitting in the cages, so that’s a good sign," Mendoza said. "When we’re talking about that abdominal area, oblique, which it’s not the oblique in this case, but every time you’re talking about this area the fact that he’s swinging the bat the very next day, that’s a good sign. I think he’s a player for us off the bench today."

Following New York's exhausting loss, Vientos added some context to the injury and added that it was on his left side.

"I just felt a tightness in my stomach area and just a weird pain," he said. "Took a swing in the cages off the machine and just felt it off one swing, and then I took another one, then I stopped."

Third baseman Brett Baty started in place of Vientos and delivered a 2-for-4 game while batting ninth for the Mets.

"I thought we played hard," said Vientos, who is slashing .232/.299/.375 with five home runs and 18 RBI through 46 games. "It was a tough game, tough conditions -- it was raining -- and, honestly, both teams competed and I think we tried our best out there."