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NEW YORK — In the minors, as Brett Baty ascended the ladder from a first-round pick in 2019 to a starting role for the Mets in 2023, a day off meant a day without baseball. The manager in Syracuse or Binghamton or Brooklyn would tell Baty he wasn’t in the lineup. Baty understood that meant he could relax. Only an emergency would interrupt his rest.

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After a few dozen games in the major leagues, playing for a team with championship aspirations and record-setting payrolls, Baty learned the term “day off” was relative.

“Up here, it’s different,” Baty said on Sunday morning, before notching a hit, taking two walks and scoring the game-tying run as the Mets took the first game of a doubleheader against Cleveland. “Even if you’re off, you’re probably still coming in the game at some point. You’ve got to be ready to play.”

The readiness of Baty, along with fellow rookies Francisco Álvarez and Mark Vientos, proved crucial on this most recent homestand for the Mets, a collection of games against Tampa Bay and Cleveland that restored optimism and excitement to an otherwise dreary season. As recently as last Tuesday, as Justin Verlander stumbled toward a loss in his home debut before a dissatisfied Citi Field crowd, the Mets looked like toast. Then came a series of comeback victories, propelled by an ill but still effective Pete Alonso and his rookie sidekicks.

Álvarez and Vientos each homered in a victory over the Rays on May 17. Baty drove in a run in a much tidier series-clincher the next day. A day later, Álvarez and Baty supplied homers in regulation, then Álvarez and Vientos delivered 10th-inning RBI singles as the Mets snatched a game away from Cleveland. The trio infused life into the club; the ballpark once more resembled the rollicking carnival from the summer of 2022. Francisco Lindor dubbed the group “the Baby Mets.”

For the Mets, last week may turn out to be a splash of brightness in a year bound for gray. Or it could come to represent a pivotal step in the franchise’s evolution, evidence that owner Steve Cohen’s team can meet his goal of becoming the East Coast’s answer to the Dodgers. Under Mark Walter’s Guggenheim group, the Dodgers have paired heavy spending with an enviable player-development pipeline. Cohen supplied the spending in recent winters. The farm has not yet delivered. The trio of Álvarez, Baty and Vientos could change that.

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The analogy with the Dodgers is not perfect. Baty is not Corey Seager, the pure hitter with enough range to stick at shortstop. Vientos is not Cody Bellinger, the freakishly athletic slugger with the ability to win Gold Gloves in center field. And Álvarez is not Will Smith, the two-way catcher who spent multiple years as an apprentice before being thrust into a starting role. The fate of the 2023 Mets will rely less on the rookies and far more on the starting duo of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander combined with the established offensive core of Alonso, Lindor, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo. But all three rookies possess talent, the sort of talent the Mets craved during the doldrums of May, the sort of talent a team must be able to actualize.

Baty has emerged as the club’s regular third baseman, although as a left-handed hitter, he may sit against southpaws, opening space for Vientos or veteran Eduardo Escobar. Vientos has less of a clear path. Besides third base, he can play first — except he will not be siphoning playing time away from Alonso. A day after Vientos’ homer against Tampa Bay, he rode the bench. Buck Showalter offered a succinct explanation: “You can’t play two guys at third base, OK?”

Showalter has sounded hesitant about discarding his slumping veterans in favor of the aforementioned baseball infants. A question to Showalter last week about Baty’s viability in left field resulted in praise for Mark Canha and Tommy Pham. The impending return of both Tomás Nido and Omar Narváez from the injured list will complicate things at catcher. Cohen paid Narváez $8 million this past winter. Álvarez and Narváez could split time as the summer continues, although there will be obstacles. Nido is out of minor-league options. And a solid performance from recent addition Gary Sánchez, who drove in a run in the first leg of Sunday’s doubleheader, could further cloud the picture.

Showalter lacked interest in broaching the encroaching catching logjam. “You want to make everybody laugh, talk about your plans,” Showalter said, a regular truism of his. “It’ll probably change in two hours.”

At least, as a catcher, Álvarez is accustomed to regular days on the bench. Baty and Vientos were everyday players in the minors. Both rookies indicated they were using the same mentality at this level, despite receiving fewer at-bats than usual. When he is not in the lineup, Baty will usually attempt to loosen up by the fourth inning. Vientos intends to operate on a similar schedule. “By the fourth, I go inside the cages,” Vientos said. “I’ll stretch out, get loose, swing a little bit. And be ready, if anything.”

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Neither Baty nor Vientos indicated he had consulted veterans for advice on handling part-time play. “Maybe that’s a question I should be asking,” Vientos said. “But so far, I’m acting like I’m playing every day.”

Baty offered a similar answer. “I don’t know if I’m going to play the night before,” Baty said. “So I’m just going to come to the park and act like I’m playing that night anyway.”

The two rookies did not have to pretend on Sunday. Baty played third base in both games against Cleveland. Vientos started as the designated hitter in the nightcap. Each understood the stakes: They needed to be ready when called upon. If they produced, they would receive more opportunities. They might be members of the Baby Mets, but Showalter is not running a day care.

(Top photo of Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Francisco Álvarez: Rich Storry / USA Today)

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