Andy Green: Jared Young locking down 'lion's share' of Mets' first base at-bats moving forward

Mets fans, you can expect to see a lot of Jared Young moving forward. Interim manager Andy Green told reporters prior to Saturday afternoon's game against the Phillies that Young will handle the position “pretty consistently” over this next stretch. “I’d be a fool to change that one,” he said.

“There’s still opportunities for other players, especially against certain types of lefty pitching to get over to first and play, but he’s locking down kind of the lion’s are of at-bats over there.”First base, of course, has been a bit of a revolving door for the Mets this season as they’ve attempted to make up for the departure of Pete Alonso over the winter. Jorge Polanco was brought in on a two-year pact to handle the bulk of the playing time, but injuries quickly limited him to DH duties and then forced him to the injured list since mid-April.

Polanco is resuming a rehab assignment, but will likely only DH again upon his return. Mark Vientos and Brett Baty received opportunities over there as well, but Baty was utilized elsewhere in the field and Vientos has struggled on both sides of the ball, leading to more chances for Young. The lefty slugger has taken advantage of his opportunity.

While his bat has slowed down a bit after a red-hot start, he continues to deliver big hits at times and has provided an extremely steady glove, which was on full display again on Friday night.Young made a handful of terrific plays to help youngster Zach Thornton dance his way around danger from the high-powered Phillies lineup in the early goings of his second career outing. “Jared did a heck of a job today," Green said following the loss.

"I was impressed."Green is also play familiar with Young's infield abilities, as he served as his bench and infield coach in Chicago.