After Mark Vientos was scratched from the lineup before Friday night’s series opener against the Dodgers with left abdominal discomfort and Brandon Nimmo had to come out in the third inning of the 13-inning loss because of a stiff neck, the Mets were looking at some serious questions about whether either would be able to play Saturday night.

They decided that Jared Young could be the answer and recalled him from Triple-A Syracuse. The 29-year-old has hit well virtually everywhere he’s been — everywhere except his 22 big-league games with the Cubs — and he could be stationed at a variety of positions.

Manager Carlos Mendoza immediately installed him as the DH for Saturday’s game, and he was hit by a pitch in his first big-league at-bat since Oct. 1, 2023. He went 0-for-1 and scored a run.

“That’s a good thing,” Young said of being in the lineup immediately. “It shows that they believe in the player I am and it kind of makes you feel like everything you’ve been doing has been for a reason.”

In 22 games for Syracuse, Young was batting .259 with five home runs and 21 RBIs.

“A professional at-bat — we saw that in spring training — his ability to control the strike zone [and] there’s some damage [capability] there,” Mendoza said. “There’s a little bit of versatility on the field defensively, and with the two guys after the game last night . . . just trying to get another bat there in the lineup.”

Young began the 2024 season playing for the Cardinals’ Triple-A team and slashed .285/.411/.506 in 77 games before making the move to play in Korea for the Doosan Bears, where he hit .326 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs in 38 games. The Mets signed him in December and immediately put him on the 40-man roster.

“Looking at the team and all the success that they’ve had, and getting an offer from a team that’s going to be right in the thick of things? It was exciting and . . . there’s an allure to playing for the Mets and playing for a really good team,” Young said. “I want to play on a team that’s going to win, and that’s just kind of been something I’ve always wanted to do, and I feel like every baseball player really wants that deep down, and this was a chance.”

Before the Young move, lefthander Genesis Cabrera and outfielder Jose Azocar were designated for assignment.

The Mets scored a run on an unusual obstruction call in Friday’s loss. Starling Marte appeared to be thrown out trying to score on a flyout by Pete Alonso, but they got the run when Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy was called for obstructing Marte’s view of the play.

“That’s something that we’re going to have to follow up with, because umpires are gonna be looking,” Mendoza said. “I’d never seen this play being called like that and, as a former infielder, I did it a lot.”

Frankie Montas (right lat strain) opened his minor-league rehab assignment by throwing 37 pitches for Class A Brooklyn on Saturday. He allowed two runs in 1 1⁄3 innings.

Vientos looked as if he could be an option off the bench for the Mets on Saturday after taking batting practice and infield at third base. He batted for Young in the sixth and walked . . . Nimmo wasn’t available Saturday, but the Mets didn’t think he’d need an IL stint . . . After using every relief pitcher on Friday night, the Mets called up Brandon Waddell, a starter who pitched 4 1⁄3 scoreless innings on April 30 for the Mets against Arizona. Mendoza said he could give them multiple innings of relief if needed.