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HOUSTON — Not only did Luisangel Acuña make the Mets Opening Day roster, he ended up in the starting lineup on Thursday against the Astros.

With Houston starting left-hander Framber Valdez, the righty-hitting Acuña got the nod over Brett Baty, but it wasn’t until the top of the ninth that Acuña really made an impact in a 3-1 loss to the Astros at Daikin Park.

Prior to that final at-bat against Houston closer Josh Hader, Acuña had a season debut to forget, going hitless in three at-bats and making a throwing error that led to an unearned run.

Then, with runners on first and second and no one out against Hader and the Mets down three runs, Acuña went down 0-2 before coming back and walking after a 12-pitch plate appearance to load the bases.

The Mets’ comeback attempt fell short, but it was a promising sign for Acuña, who only won the final roster spot on Wednesday.

With the lefty Valdez on the mound, Acuña got the start at second over Baty and had a rough time early on, throwing the ball away on a potential double play.

He made a nice play to his left on a smash by Yordan Alvarez to lead off the bottom of the fifth and then battled Hader for a walk.

“That’s what you want to see, especially out of a young player,’’ Carlos Mendoza said. “[Against] one of the best closers in the game, an at-bat like that says a lot: The ability to move on.”

Prior to the game, Mendoza said he wouldn’t necessarily treat second base as a definitive platoon as the team waits for Jeff McNeil to return from a strained oblique suffered during spring training.

“They’re both going to play,’’ Mendoza said. “I don’t want to call it a strict platoon. If there’s a lefty we feel good about [lefty-swinging] Baty playing against, we’ll do it. The same thing goes for Acuña: If there’s a righty he matches up well [against], he’ll get the start. We’ll play it day-by-day. They’ll both get opportunities.”

Baty played some second base last year at Triple-A Syracuse after losing the third base job with the Mets and got reps at second again this spring, with mixed results.

He also hit well during the Grapefruit League, a sign that he might be able to put the disappointment of 2024 behind him.

And with the Mets scheduled to face right-handers on Friday and Saturday in Houston, Baty figures to start those games.

Mendoza told Acuña he’d won the job after Wednesday’s workout in Houston.

“We had a pretty good idea [Wednesday],” Mendoza said of the Acuña decision. “Acuña earned it, not only in spring training, but with the way he played for us last year. He is getting an opportunity.”

He made the most of it late last season, when he filled in for the injured Francisco Lindor for 10 games down the stretch and helped the Mets reach the playoffs.

That came after a rough season at Triple-A Syracuse, which led some to believe Acuña would perform better under the bright lights of the majors than in the minors.

Mendoza agreed.

“One hundred percent,’’ Mendoza said. “We’ve seen it before, not just with Acuña. You’re down in the minor leagues and then you’re put in the spotlight and you see the third deck [of the stadium] and you respond. … We saw it last year, chasing a playoff spot. He came in and wasn’t afraid.”

Acuña said he hoped to build on that success again.

“I’m excited and appreciate the honor,’’ Acuña said through an interpreter. “Now I have to go out there and do what I do and play my best.”