Marcus Semien’s bat, which has faced scrutiny for much of the season, showed signs of resurgence on Monday, contributing significantly to the New York Mets' 14-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves.
Semien, acquired by the Mets in an offseason trade, entered Sunday's game hitting .204. However, his performance on Monday included three hits, a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, and a second-inning single. He also scored a run in the eighth inning after singling and later drawing a walk.
"I think he’s really competed incredibly well," Mets interim manager Andy Green said. "He is impressive from a professionalism standpoint. He does absolutely everything you could do to get ready to win a baseball game."
Green added, "I had multiple people tell me yesterday how he was preparing on the bench to come in, didn’t get the start, but he was doing absolutely everything to be ready for a big at-bat. It was a huge three-run homer for us yesterday. It’s nice to see people who do everything right experience success, and he earns everything he gets."
The 35-year-old infielder's three-hit game was his first since May 6. His struggles this season have drawn criticism from fans, with some directing blame towards Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns for the trade that sent homegrown talent Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers.
Semien has been one of several offseason acquisitions by the Mets that have not met expectations, as his batting average has not surpassed .230 since May. Semien, who was part of the Rangers' 2023 World Series championship team, expressed that recent adjustments to his hitting approach have focused on timing.
"I’m just trying to slow the ball down," Semien said. "I felt like [I was] a little late on fastballs. Everything for me starts with the fastball. If you’re late on the fastball, you’re going to rush on the off-speed chase. Just trying to make the ball look as slow as possible so you can control the strike zone."