Carson Benge has stayed in the Mets’ starting outfield since Opening Day, but the 23-year-old rookie is going through a rough first month at the plate. Through 15 games, Benge is 7-for-49, batting.143 with twice as many strikeouts as hits.
The Mets called up Benge, their second-ranked prospect, to play outfield on Opening Day and started him in right field. He has mostly hit seventh or ninth in the order while holding down a lineup spot that the club has kept intact despite the slow start.
The numbers behind that promotion still help explain why Benge remains on the field. He was a 2024 first-round pick out of Oklahoma State and moved quickly through the system in 2025, batting.302 with a.897 OPS in 60 games at High-A Brooklyn,.317 with a.978 OPS in 32 games at Double-A Binghampton and.178 with a.583 OPS in 24 games at Triple-A Syracuse. He also turned heads in spring training, when he hit over.350 with an on-base percentage closer to.450.
That track record made him easy to stash in fantasy leagues and easy to project as a multistatus contributor. Before the season, he had been forecast for a.265 average, 15 to 18 home runs, 70 to 80 RBI, 75 to 85 runs and 18 to 22 steals over 130 to 145 games, and he is still available in more than 90% of Fantasy Baseball leagues.
The tension for the Mets is that Benge’s early major league line is not close to what he showed on the way up, even if it is still a small sample. The club has kept him in the lineup in part because of his plus arm, athleticism and defensive versatility across all three outfield spots, traits that matter for a team with a crowded but injury-prone outfield.
For now, Benge’s first 15 games look more like the usual adjustment period than a verdict. The question is how long the Mets are willing to let the rookie learn on the job before his bat has to catch up to the promise that got him to Queens so quickly.