LOS ANGELES — Brett Baty was sent to the minor leagues near the end of spring training to prove his readiness for the big leagues.

He needed only nine games at Triple-A to state his case.

The rookie third baseman was recalled from Syracuse on Monday, before the Mets opened a three-game series against the Dodgers with an 8-6 win.

Baty-mania had spread throughout the fan base over the season’s first 2 ½ weeks and now the 23-year-old third baseman will get his shot, as the Mets look for a bat that can jump-start a stagnating lineup.

“I was playing well, but now it’s a new test to tackle,” said Baty, who owned a 1.386 OPS with five homers in 35 at-bats for Syracuse. “I’m just going to come up here and try to continue and put together ABs and play good defense for the team.”

He was in the starting lineup at Dodger Stadium, playing third base and batting eighth.

He went 1-for-4 with an RBI single, and was substituted for Luis Guillorme on defense in the ninth inning.

Manager Buck Showalter indicated the plan is to play Baty against right-handed pitching and sometimes against lefties.

“He is ready to play in the big leagues,” said a major league talent evaluator who spent most of the past week watching Baty perform for Syracuse. “It looks like he is ready to hit and he is much stronger than last season and looks much more sure of himself in the batter’s box.”

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The talent evaluator noted that Baty was showing power to all fields, with homers to left-center, center and right-center during a recent stretch.

The Mets sent Baty to Syracuse to receive additional reps defensively.

And while the talent evaluator witnessed Baty commit one “sloppy” error, he said the third baseman was defensively sound.

“Other than that, he made all the routine plays,” the talent evaluator said. “I think he will be fine.”

From Brandon Nimmo’s perspective, the questions about Baty’s defense will likely motivate him to work harder and prove naysayers wrong.

Nimmo drew the comparison to questions earlier in his career about his ability to play center field.

But over the past few seasons Nimmo has shown he’s among the game’s best at the position.

Baty (the Mets’ first-round pick in the 2019 draft) left a strong impression on Nimmo during an August call-up last season that included the rookie hitting a homer in his first major league at-bat.

Baty’s audition was cut short by a torn ligament in his right thumb that necessitated surgery.

“I think that as someone that was told they were not a great defender and is now a pretty good defender, I know that can be improved upon.” Nimmo said. “I just think that is something you can improve on if that needs to be and I think at the big league level you get even more instruction and feedback from people that have been doing it for a while and I just think the ceiling for [Baty] is very high on that. I see all the tools and the arm strength and the athleticism that he has.”

“I can’t [speak] to the defense because I really haven’t seen enough of it because unfortunately he got hurt a little bit last year and then in spring training it’s just different. It’s hard to say in spring, but I have all the confidence in the world with the work ethic I saw from him that he’s going to continue to get better.”

The talent evaluator noted the composition of the Mets’ roster ensures Baty won’t be viewed as a savior who has to carry the lineup.

“If he gets off to a slow start he doesn’t have to panic, he has got plenty of help,” the talent evaluator said.

As much as Baty was aware of the hoopla surrounding his recall, he said it hasn’t brought additional pressure.

“I try to be super-grounded,” Baty said. “I try to be present in every single moment. Try not to think about stuff too far in advance and really just tackle what I am doing that day.”