Welcoming back Mark Vientos shouldn't necessarily mean sacrificing Ronny Mauricio, another young slugger on the rise, especially considering the Mets’ offensive struggles of late.

Three weeks ago, when Mauricio was hastily summoned from Triple-A Syracuse as an emergency replacement for the injured Vientos, the transaction seemed tied to a ticking clock. The Mets never intended to promote the 24-year-old Mauricio this quickly, not after him missing an entire development year due to injuries, and it was only logical that he’d be promptly returned for that maturation to continue.

Now? There’s a strong case to keep Mauricio around for one simple reason: He’s shown enough to help the Mets to win at this level. And it’s not like manager Carlos Mendoza is overflowing with better options.

A couple of factors have worked in Mauricio’s favor beyond the recent performance uptick, which includes Wednesday night’s first career three-hit game (solo homer) in the Mets’ 7-4 victory over Atlanta. Neither Vientos nor Brett Baty has separated themselves as the everyday third baseman, the current lefty DH is Jared Young (.642 OPS) and the Mets have grown increasingly comfortable using Jeff McNeil in centerfield.

So what does all that mean for Mauricio? As a switch-hitter, plus the versatility to play three infield positions, Mendoza presumably could get Mauricio enough time to share a rotation with Baty and Vientos that shuffles them between second base, third and DH. For Thursday’s series finale against Atlanta, Mauricio was back at second, with Baty at third and McNeil in left (Brandon Nimmo got the nod at DH). Going forward, Mendoza didn’t lay out any specific blueprint.

“The way I see it, this will continue to be a puzzle, where I have to work the pieces and put everything in place,” Mendoza said. “I think that’s a good problem to have.”

Mauricio’s fit depends on how comfortable the Mets are giving him more on-the-job training while they’re in a dogfight with the Phillies for NL East supremacy. There’s little doubt on Mauricio’s part. While acknowledging how much he’s learned in the past few weeks, Mauricio sounds confident enough to stick around.

“I feel like I belong here with everything I’ve done,” Mauricio said Thursday through an interpreter.

And he’s not just taking up space, either. There was the 456-foot blast at Coors Field, which is the Mets’ longest homer this season. On Wednesday, Mauricio’s leadoff shot in the third inning put them up, 1-0, before Juan Soto did most of the heavy lifting. Mauricio provides a very loud bat for a bottom of the order that has been way too quiet during this June swoon, which is a big plus.

The downside? Earlier this week, president of baseball operations David Stearns expressed some concern over Mauricio’s growing pains, suggesting that maybe this was too much, too soon, especially while the Mets were dealing with their first real tailspin of the season. With 19 strikeouts in 58 at-bats and a 41.7 chase rate, these are the expected red flags when pushing a young prospect

“I think we’re asking a lot of Ronny right now,” Stearns said. “It’s easy at the big leagues to talk about and observe where some of the flaws are. But Ronny still hits the ball incredibly hard. He’s a dynamic player. And yes, he’s probably expanded the zone a little more than we’d like. But even with that, we have seen qualities that I think are going to make him a really, really good major-league player.”

The case for Mauricio brings to mind Vientos’ seismic impact on the Mets’ turnaround last season. Finally given a legit shot, after a number of aborted chances, Vientos turned into a game-changer (27 HRs, .837 OPS) that helped revive their lineup. The harder part for him has been living up to those expectations, and Vientos struggled this season (.230 BA, .678 OPS) before the hamstring strain put him on the IL, losing the everyday third baseman’s job in the process.

But Vientos has the nickname “Swaggy V” for a reason. He’s never lacking in confidence, and the time away, after the slow start, could serve as a reset button. Listening to Vientos upon Thursday’s return, the break sounded like a period of reflection, too.

“If you thought you were going to come into the league again, especially the big leagues, and think it was going to be a walk in the park, you have another thing coming,” Vientos said. “I felt like I kind of got humbled a little bit and I appreciate that, because I love this game so much.

“The first couple months of the season is why I love it so much — because it keeps me on my toes. It keeps me wanting to work harder and harder and keep getting better.”

The Mets are counting on that better version of Vientos, particularly after demoting another one of their young prospects, Francisco Alvarez, who was supposed to be a pillar of their lineup this season. Alvarez struggled so much, in every facet of his game, that the Mets had no choice but to ship him to Syracuse for more development in a lower-pressure environment. Bottom line, Alvarez wasn’t helping the Mets win. He was more problem than solution for a team that had become desperate to score runs, along with being a liability behind the plate.

Mauricio, however, has been just the opposite. And Vientos’ return shouldn’t impede that from continuing to happen with the Mets, the team he stands to help the most right now.