Vientos a huge hit immediately for Mets in return from surprise demotion to minors

NEW YORK (AP) — Maybe the New York Mets made a mistake when they sent Mark Vientos to the minors.

After waiting a month for another big league opportunity, the 24-year-old infielder is quickly making the most of it.

Vientos socked a two-run homer in the 11th inning on his second day in the majors this season to give the Mets a 4-2 comeback victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

“I was sitting for that one pitch the whole at-bat,” he said. “I finally got it and I put a good swing on it.”

Vientos also had a pinch-hit single in the ninth and is 3 for 4 in two games since getting called up from Triple-A Syracuse — all off the bench.

“We know the power to all fields, especially against lefties,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He was ready to go. So, credit to him, and it’s good to see it.”

Mendoza said he was pretty sure Vientos will be in the starting lineup Monday night against the Chicago Cubs. Mets outfielder Starling Marte is expected back from the bereavement list on Tuesday, though, so Vientos’ future remains uncertain.

Asked whether the youngster might stick around longer, Mendoza said: “We’ll see.”

“To be honest with you, I’m happy where I’m at right now,” Vientos said. “I’m not really thinking about the past or the future. I’m living in the present right now and I’m happy with this moment, celebrating with my team.”

Vientos batted .211 with nine homers, 22 RBIs and a .620 OPS in 233 plate appearances for the Mets last season. Throughout spring training this year, he appeared in line for regular big league at-bats at designated hitter and perhaps third base before New York signed veteran slugger J.D. Martinez to a $12 million, one-year contract on March 23.

Vientos was disappointed by his surprise demotion to the minors two days later, as the Mets put light-hitting backup Zack Short on the opening-day roster because he plays all over the infield, while Vientos mainly mans the corners.

Short was designated for assignment Friday when Martinez was activated.

Vientos didn't sulk down at Syracuse, however. He was hitting .302 with five homers, 22 RBIs and a .923 OPS in 23 games at Triple-A before getting recalled Saturday when Marte went on the bereavement list.

“He’s performing. He earned it,” Mendoza said then. “My message to him is, be ready for your opportunity.”

He certainly has been.

New York was 0 for 15 with runners in scoring position and down to its last strike Sunday when Harrison Bader singled home the tying run in the 11th inning.

Vientos then fouled off a couple of two-strike pitches before driving a 1-2 sinker from Matthew Liberatore just beyond the glove of a leaping Michael Siani at the center-field fence. A fired-up Vientos pumped his arms and tossed aside his helmet as he approached home plate, where he was swarmed by jubilant teammates.

It was the first walk-off RBI in the big leagues for Vientos, a second-round draft pick in 2017 out of American Heritage High School in Florida. He made his Mets debut in 2022 and appeared in 65 games for them last year.

“I feel like it’s almost a déjà vu moment. I feel like I’ve lived that moment over and over in my head,” Vientos said. “So it was just like, let it go, let all the energy out. Just a great feeling.”

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New York Mets Mark Vientos (27), left, celebrates with Harrison Bader after hitting a walk-off home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets Mark Vientos (27), center, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets' Mark Vientos hits a walkoff home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets' Mark Vientos celebrates after hitting a walkoff home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets' Mark Vientos celebrates after hitting a walkoff home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A man with a long record of dangerous driving pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to driving under the influence-manslaughter in the deaths of eight Mexican farmworkers whose bus was sideswiped by his pickup truck in central Florida. Dozens more were injured.

Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, remains jailed without bond for Tuesday's crash where the Florida Highway Patrol says he drove his 2001 Ford pickup into the center line on a two-lane road and sideswiped a farmworker bus, causing it to veer off the road, strike a tree and flip over. Court documents giving details of what substance Howard allegedly took remained sealed Wednesday afternoon.

He told a judge by teleconference from jail Wednesday that he’s a self-employed painter and drywall installer with $700 in the bank, no other assets and no dependents. Howard’s head was bandaged and he wore a protective gown typically given to inmates on suicide watch. The judge denied bond, appointed a public defender and set his next court appearance for next month.

Howard’s parents did not immediately respond to a Wednesday phone message seeking comment, and the Marion County public defender’s office declined comment.

Marion County court records show Howard has had at least three crashes and numerous traffic tickets dating back to 2006, including one citation for crossing the center line. His license has been suspended at least three times, the latest in 2021 for getting too many citations within a year. In 2013, he was convicted of grand theft. A year later, his probation was revoked after he tested positive for cocaine.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s consulate was working Wednesday to support the seasonal farmworkers, who had been on their way to harvest watermelons at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon when the accident happened at about 6:40 a.m. Tuesday, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Orlando.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday morning that 44 Mexican farmworkers were on the bus, hired by a Mexican-American farmer to work on the watermelon farm under H-2A visas. Florida farms use about 50,000 H-2A workers each year, more than any other state, according to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.

A Mexican government statement later Wednesday said that six of the injured are in serious condition and three others are in critical condition.

The Mexican consulate in Orlando was working to provide support at the AdventHealth Ocala hospital, where many of the injured were taken. The Florida Highway Patrol said names of the people who died would be released after relatives were notified.

López Obrador said he wouldn’t provide more details to protect the workers’ families. The cofounder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Lucas Benitez said consular officials told them the farmworkers who died were from at least five different states in Mexico.

Andres Sequera, a director of mission and ministry for AdventHealth hospitals, said chaplains were visiting the injured workers, and they "were in good spirits for what they have been through.”

“We were able to provide support, presence, prayer when it was asked of us,” Sequera told reporters.

Cannon Farms, a family-owned operation that sends the melons to grocery stores across the U.S. and Canada, said it would stay closed through Wednesday.

“Thank you to all who have reached out and offered condolences, help and prayers” for the people hurt in the crash, Cannon Farms said a Facebook post that described the accident as happening at the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp.

No one answered the phone at Olvera Trucking after the crash. The company recently advertised for a temporary driver who would bus workers to watermelon fields and then operate harvesting equipment, at $14.77 an hour.

A Labor Department document shows Olvera also recently applied for 43 H-2A workers to harvest watermelons at Cannon Farms this month, again at a base rate of $14.77 an hour, with promises of housing and transportation to and from the fields.

The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or agents who meet certain regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals into the country to fill temporary agricultural jobs. Getting to and from the fields can be hazardous: Federal statistics show vehicle crashes were the leading cause of job-related deaths among farmworkers in 2022, the latest year available. They accounted for 81 of 171 fatalities.

It was not immediately not known if Olivera's vehicle, which the highway patrol described as a “retired” school bus, had seat belts.

The Labor Department announced new seat belt requirements for employer vehicles used for farmworkers on temporary visas, among other worker protections that take effect June 28. Florida law already requires seat belts for farmworker transport using smaller vehicles, weighing less than 10,000 pounds. The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association has been opposed to the new federal seat belt requirement, calling it “impractical.”

Two advocacy groups called for stricter laws and enforcement to protect farmworkers, while a GoFundMe campaign organized by the Farmworker Association of Florida to support accident victims and their families had raised about $20,000 of a $50,000 goal by Tuesday night.

“Farmworkers tend to be forgotten, but it’s important not to forget farmworkers, especially during such difficult times,” the post said.

Benitez said transportation laws for farmworkers are often unenforced.

“While accidents will happen, protecting workers while transporting them with mandatory and enforceable safety provisions, like seat belts and safety inspections, can reduce injuries and deaths,” he said.

Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale.

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This version corrects Immokalee Workers statement to Lucas Benitez, not Ty Joplin.

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

This photo provided by Marion County Jail shows Bryan Howard. The Florida Highway Patrol arrested Howard, the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into the farmworker bus on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Marion County Jail via AP)

Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a deadly crash on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Dunnellon, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has overturned, killing several people and injuring other passengers. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

Emergency personnel work the scene of a deadly crash on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 in Marion County, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has overturned, killing several people and injuring other passengers. Authorities say the bus was transporting farmworkers on Tuesday morning when it collided with a truck and swerved off a road in Marion County, north of Orlando. (WFTS via AP)

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

This photo provided by the Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. shows crews from Marion County Fire Rescue and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office assisting victims after a bus carrying farmworkers crashed and overturned early Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Ocala, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says eight people were killed and nearly 40 others were injured. (Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. via AP)

Emergency personnel work the scene of a deadly crash on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 in Marion County, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has overturned, killing several people and injuring other passengers. Authorities say the bus was transporting farmworkers on Tuesday morning when it collided with a truck and swerved off a road in Marion County, north of Orlando. (WFTS via AP)

Florida Highway Patrol Cpl. Brett Detweiler takes pictures of the crash scene as emergency workers are on the scene of a fatal bus crash carrying laborers that overturned Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP)

This photo provided by the Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. shows a bus carrying 53 farmworkers that crashed and overturned early Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Ocala, Fla. which is north of Orlando. (Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. via AP)

Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a deadly crash on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Dunnellon, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has overturned, killing several people and injuring other passengers. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

Wreckage is cleared after a bus collied with a small pickup truck killing eight of the more than 50 migrant workers in the bus, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. The driver of the pick up, Bryan Maclean Howard, was charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

Emergency workers work the scene of a fatal bus crash carrying laborers that overturned Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP)

This photo provided by the Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. shows crews from Marion County Fire Rescue and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office assisting victims after a bus carrying farmworkers crashed and overturned early Tuesday, May 14, 2024 near Ocala, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says eight people were killed and nearly 40 others were injured. (Marion County Fire Rescue Dept. via AP)

Highway Patrol Cpl. Brett Detweiler takes pictures of the pick up truck that was involved in the crash scene as emergency workers worked the scene of a fatal bus crash carrying laborers that overturned Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP)

A bus is removed after it collied with a small pickup truck killing eight of the more than 50 migrant workers in the bus, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. The driver of the pick up, Bryan Maclean Howard, was charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)