Mets' Mark Vientos back with big club for possible extended stay as Joey Wendle is designated for assignment

PHILADELPHIA — Desperate for any sort of offensive spark, the Mets made an unorthodox move Wednesday: They dumped their backup infielder, Joey Wendle, so they could carry an extra bat, Mark Vientos.

They plan to play the righthanded-hitting Vientos against lefthanded starters, including the Phillies’ Ranger Suarez on Wednesday and a couple more over the weekend during the Marlins series.

Unlike with Vientos’ cameo last month, when his three-day stay had a specific time limit, this is more open-ended — albeit with no promises from organizational decision-makers. If Vientos performs well, there is room for him to win more playing time from Brett Baty.

Baty, who had been the regular third baseman, not only remained on the roster but now is the Mets’ emergency middle infielder.

“We thought it was a good opportunity for [Vientos] to get some playing time here,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.

Vientos said of his return from Triple-A Syracuse: “Kind of surprised, but not too surprised. Always ready for anything that can happen. Try to keep my head down down there and just keep working hard.”

Wendle was designated for assignment, so the Mets will be on the hook for the rest of his $2 million salary unless they find a taker via trade or waiver claim.

Signed in November to a one-year contract as a replacement for Luis Guillorme, Wendle was supposed to be a defensively inclined utility infielder. But he made several fielding flubs and struggled at the plate, batting .222 with a .493 OPS. That Baty and Jeff McNeil — the primary players Wendle filled in for — also are lefthanded hitters made it yet more difficult to find him playing time.

“Obviously, things didn’t go the way we were expecting or he was expecting,” Mendoza said. “He didn’t get many opportunities, but he understood. It’s a business. Where we were and trying to change things up here, we needed a righty bat. It wasn’t an easy [conversation].”

At the start of the season, the Mets had two backup infielders, Wendle and Zack Short. Now they have none.

That means if something happens to shortstop Francisco Lindor of second baseman McNeil mid-game, Baty is the next man up. He last played there during high school, he said. That was five years ago.

Before the Mets’ series opener in Philadelphia, Baty did some light defensive work at those spots, getting pointers specifically from Mendoza, a former infielder and infield coach.

“Obviously, that’ll be a not ideal scenario,” Mendoza said. “But as of right now, we feel comfortable with what we have and we’ll go with that.”

The Mets have veteran Jose Iglesias (and prospect Luisangel Acuna, who hasn’t hit much) at Syracuse if they decide they need a real backup up the middle.

But for now, they are fine riding Lindor and McNeil for every inning of every game through at least next Wednesday, which is followed by a day off for the team. Then they’ll see how they feel. Mendoza called it a “week-to-week” situation.

“This is where we’re at right now,” he said. “We’re going to roll with it.”

None of this roster funkiness would be necessary if Baty was batting better. He took a .230 average and .609 OPS into play Wednesday. He is considered a better defender than Vientos, but Vientos with his power potential is intriguing enough that he is getting another shot.

“I see improvements,” Vientos said of his capabilities at third. “I feel really good and comfortable over there. Still a process, still trying to get better and still improving on that side. Not satisfied, but I feel like I’m in a good spot.”

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.