Brett Baty
Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets called top prospect Brett Baty up to the majors Wednesday and he’s in the starting lineup against the Braves, batting eighth and playing third base.

And on his first-ever MLB at-bat, on the second major-league pitch he’s ever seen, Baty went yard. The 22-year-old and 2019 first-round draft pick took Braves right-hander Jake Odorizzi to right field on a 72 mile-per-hour curveball for a two-run home run. Left fielder Mark Canha was already on base after leading off the second inning with a double.

The Mets promoted Baty on Tuesday. From earlier:

It was only a matter of time before Baty earned his first shot in the majors. Many believed he could be a September call-up or potential starting option next year. Obviously, the recent news regarding Luis Guillorme sped up the process — the third baseman suffered a left groin strain in Sunday’s win over Philly and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Baty earned a promotion to Triple-A from Double-A Binghamton earlier this month. In six games with Syracuse, the 22-year-old Texas native drove in a run, drew three walks, and slashed .364/.462/.364 with a .825 OPS across 26 plate appearances. He spent four of those games at the hot corner and two in left field.

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As of right now, the Mets aren’t begging for a regular starting third baseman in Guillorme’s absense — Escobar can fill that role in the interim when healthy. But the club could use an extra glove down the stretch to help minimize the loss of Guillorme’s defensive stardom. Baty could also be an additional option for the designated hitter role should manager Buck Showalter elect to give primary DH Daniel Vogelbach a day off.

The Mets seem pretty equipped in the outfield for right now, with Mark Canha, Nimmo, and Marte all having put together productive seasons. Naquin has also been a solid trade deadline acquisition and is batting .297 thus far in his time with the team (13 games, 38 plate appearances). So Baty isn’t an absolute necessity there.

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Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.