ATLANTA -- The New York Mets called up top prospect Brett Baty on Wednesday to fill in at third base for ailing Eduardo Escobar, putting the 22-year-old in the middle of a spirited race for the NL East title.
Plagued by a sore left oblique, Escobar was placed on the 10-day injured list before the division-leading Mets faced the team that's chasing them, World Series champion Atlanta.
Baty was in the lineup for his major league debut, batting eighth. Ranked the 37th-best prospect in baseball by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, he was called up to the big leagues just a week after being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse.