Carlos Mendoza went to a lot of trouble to put Jared Young in the lineup at designated hitter Tuesday. It paid off.

With Young penciled in at DH, Mendoza put Jeff McNeil in center, Brett Baty at second and Mark Vientos at third. A better defense would have McNeil at second, Baty at third, Vientos at DH and Tyrone Taylor in the outfield.

Mendoza was asked about his decision to start Young, who entered Tuesday 0-for-5 since his being called up from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday, at a news conference before the game. Young, 29, played in the Korean Baseball Organization last year after playing in 22 games with the Cubs in 2022-23.

“We’ve seen it these past couple of days,” Mendoza said. “He’s got the ability to put himself in a good hitter’s count, and that’s his calling card. He hit a 107 (mph) to dead center the other day and I feel like he’s usually 3-0, 2-1. Now he’s just got to get into the rhythm and do some damage on some pitches.”

Jared Young (29) Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Young found his rhythm in the first inning, getting his first hit as a Met (on a 1-0 count) with a two-run homer that broke a 2-2 tie. He added a double in the third (first pitch swinging) and finished 2-for-3 before being lifted for Starling Marte.

Young made his manager look good, New York won its fourth in a row and Pete Alonso was impressed along the way.

“I mean, it’s huge for us,” the first baseman said. “It’s huge for him, huge for us. I mean, that was a great swing or a great two swings. Not only did he have the homer but that was a great swing line drive that he had in the gap for a double. He looked great. He’s been having really good at-bats but like tonight you really get to see like what he’s able to do.”

“It feels great,” Young told SNY on the field after the game. “It’s kind of how you draw it up. You want to come up and contribute right away. And it’s just great to get on the board. Four wins so the team’s playing amazing and the bullpen has been great. It’s been impressive.”

And then, like the manager, he talked about rhythm.

“Just trust myself and kinda just get into the rhythm of the game and if the rhythm of the game is swinging at strikes and being aggressive that’s kinda what I’m going to roll with.”