Mets Brett Baty belts two homers to continue tear since return to bigs

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.Brett Baty is making up for lost time.The infielder, who has seen himself on the Syracuse shuttle each of the past two seasons, got his third straight start on Saturday and homered twice in a 6-5 loss to the Cubs at Citi Field.It was his second consecutive night with a home run and came after Carlos Mendoza said he won’t force Baty into the lineup, even as he tries to get the infielder playing time following his recent call-up from Triple-A Syracuse due to Jesse Winker’s stint on the injured list.But after Baty went deep twice — one a three-run shot to the pull side in the fourth and the other to the opposite field in the eighth — Mendoza made one thing clear: “He knows he belongs in the big leagues.

He’s a really good big league player.He’s got the skills [and] the tools.

We’ve seen it.… He has the confidence that he knows he belongs in the big leagues.”And Baty also has the awareness to understand he may not stay in Queens once Winker is healthy again if the Mets face another roster crunch.Asked about Mendoza’s comment that he “belongs” in the majors, Baty said, “I don’t make those decisions.”He also insisted he doesn’t concern himself with where he’ll be in the future other than when asked about it.What Baty said he’s focused on instead is his work, especially at the plate.Baty has worked more off high-velocity machines in the cages in an effort to more accurately simulate game situations.“The past couple days I’ve challenged myself in the cages and that’s translated on the field,” Baty said.

“I make it harder in the cage so I can go out and have the best approach.”Tylor Megill has also experienced bouncing back and forth to the minors and said he’s been impressed by what he’s seen from Baty.“You can’t pout about it,’’ Megill said.“You take it like a man, do th...