Marcus Semiens bat finally showing signs of life for Mets

When a veteran struggles to replicate the production of the player he was traded for, he’s likely going to be scrutinized — especially in a big market. For the Mets, Marcus Semien fits that bill.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.Semien, whom the Mets acquired for Brandon Nimmo from the Rangers this offseason, was hitting just .204 entering Sunday’s game against the Dodgers. But after hitting a homer Sunday, Semien broke through in the Mets’ 14-3 thrashing of the Braves on Monday, recording three hits and a home run that put his team up for good in the sixth inning. “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. “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.” Fans have been calling for Semien’s head all season.

They’ve peppered Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns with blame for trading a homegrown talent and decade-long Met in Nimmo for Semien. Along with Freddy Peralta, Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco, Semien has been one of several offseason acquisitions that haven’t panned out for the Mets, as his average hasn’t been over .230 since May. Yet Semien, who won a World Series with the Rangers in 2023, showed Monday that he may have something left in the tank — even if it likely won’t matter for the Mets this season. Semien started his night with a second-inning single before hitting a two-run blast in the sixth to put the Mets up 5-3. With the Mets up 9-3 in the...