Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Now is the time to stash Mets 3B Brett Baty

He’s not likely to stay in the minors for long, so now is the time to consider adding and stashing Mets third baseman Brett Baty in fantasy baseball.

Well, let’s start here with a late-breaking injury note. Mets prospect third baseman Brett Baty left Tuesday’s game for Triple-A Syracuse after suffering a right hand injury during a swing.

As noted above, Baty finished the at-bat and swung a couple more times before being removed from the game. Further news should come soon but, for now, let’s hope it’s nothing major and Baty maybe just needs a day or two off before being good to go. It’s worth noting he had right thumb surgery last year and that is the focus of imaging to come.

Now, moving on…

Baty is one of the Mets’ top prospects (ranked second by MLB.com). He got his first taste of the big leagues last year, with a .184/.244/.342 slash line, two home runs and five RBI over 42 plate appearances (11 games). He entered spring this year seemingly with a good chance to make the Mets’ Opening Day roster, but a .325/.460/.425 slash line was not enough.

Entering Tuesday’s game, Baty started his minor league season 5-for-14 with two home runs, five RBI, a double and a stolen base. He singled his first time up on Tuesday, before the injury in his second plate appearance.

Through the first several days of the new season, the Mets have primarily used Eduardo Escobar at third base. However, entering Tuesday, he was off to a 1-for-16 start with seven strikeouts, and nothing he did last season (.726 OPS, albeit with a sort-of good looking 20 home runs) should give him concrete job security. When he was given a day off on Monday, Luis Guillorme got the start at third base and went 2-for-4 against the Brewers.

Unless it’s very bad injury news, now’s the time to think about stashing Mets prospect Brett Baty in fantasy baseball leagues

The Mets are in it to win it, with owner Steve Cohen sparing no expense to add the best players possible, so a black hole at third base will not stand for long. If Baty’s injury news isn’t a worst-case scenario, he’s knocking on the door to be called up sooner rather than later. The Mets won’t need to make a trade to upgrade their third base situation. They have an internal answer if Baty is not going to miss any, or will miss very little, time.

As a nod the notion he wasn’t going to be long for Triple-A (if healthy), Baty is rostered in 20 percent of Yahoo! fantasy leagues. In ESPN leagues, he’s rostered in a far lower 5.7 percent.

Be aware of the injury updates to come on Baty. But if he’s not going to miss much time, even a minimum IL stint, he’s worth considering as an add-and-stash in deeper mixed leagues. Depending on number of bench spots available, he’s also worth a look in NL-only leagues if the looming injury news isn’t too dire.