How Long Is the Mets’ Leash on Carson Benge?

Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to prospects.

Just Baseball’s No. 11 prospect, Carson Benge, is reminding us of that early in his career with the New York Mets. While it is foolish to draw conclusions after just a handful of games, Benge has not exactly jumped to stardom the way that Mets fans hoped after a strong spring.

Benge was drafted in the first round as a two-way player out of Oklahoma State in 2024, but he quickly made the call to focus on his bat. He had a strong showing in 15 Low-A games that year but truly jumped onto the scene in 2025. Last season, Benge slashed .281/.385/.472 for an OPS of .857 across three levels, slugging 15 homers and stealing 22 bags.

However, beneath those encouraging stats, the Sooner State native hit just .178 in 24 games at Triple-A, despite being interrupted by a hand injury.

Even with his struggles to adjust to better competition down the stretch, president of baseball operations David Stearns was adamant throughout the offseason that Benge would get a legitimate shot to prove himself this spring.

Not only did he get that shot, but he took full advantage of it. Benge hit .366 in 14 Spring Training games. Additionally, veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman suffered a torn meniscus at the tail end of camp, solidifying Benge’s claim for the starting right field job.

However, with 14 games under his belt with the Mets, things have yet to click for Benge. He has gone just 6-for-46 with a .426 OPS. Those struggles create a few question, but the biggest one remains: how long of a leash does Benge have?

Stats and rankings taken prior to play on Tuesday, April 14.

Is Benge Ready for the Bigs?

There is an argument to be made that Tauchman’s injury forced the Mets’ hand, although it still would have made sense to carry both Benge and Tauchman had the latter not gotten hurt.

Despite a strong spring, Benge stood out for his ability to shoot the ball against the shift. It’s hard to argue against a .350 batting average, but it’s not like he was pulverizing the baseball. 

This spring, Benge posted a 34.5% hard-hit rate and average exit velocity of 88.3 mph. Luck was certainly a factor, as his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was .452.

Going off peripherals alone, Benge has actually had better batted-ball data in his brief big-league career than he did in Grapefruit League play.

In Queens, Benge’s hard-hit rate has climbed to 40.6%. His average exit velocity is 90.5 mph, but his BABIP is just .161.

The hits that fell in February and March have been turning into outs since Opening Day.

The biggest concern with Benge’s adjustment to big-league pitching is his increased strikeout rate. He made a name for himself in camp for his ability to work counts, foul pitches off, and put the ball in play. A 20% strikeout rate in Spring Training has jumped to 26.9% in the regular season, but his walk rate also increased (8.9% to 11.5%).

While Benge has hit the ball hard, oftentimes it has been on the ground. His 53.1% ground-ball rate is far above league average. Once he begins to lift the ball even slightly, he will be a tough hitter to retire.

When Benge connects, his quality of contact has been solid, and while it is hard to defend a .130 batting average, there is more to his introduction to MLB than his traditional stats let on.

Benge’s teammates aren’t exactly doing much better. The 23-year-old is one of four qualified Mets hitters who are hitting under .200. The other three are guys with at least 10 years of MLB service time.

While not drastic, things started to point in the right direction for Benge this past weekend. After snapping a 0-for-24 skid last Wednesday, Benge went 2-for-9 against the Athletics while also drawing a walk. Hidden in his seven hitless at-bats was a pair of 100 mph groundouts, one of which came on a diving play by A’s second baseman Jeff McNeil.

To echo what Stearns said in his media availability before Friday’s game, Benge’s development will take time, and the Mets will continue to entrust their highly-touted youngster with opportunities.

“We’re going to be patient,” Stearns said.

Benge’s Role in New York

New York gave their rookie a vote of confidence on Monday, as it called up outfielder Tommy Pham from the minors. Instead of using Pham to replace Benge, they optioned infielder Ronny Mauricio to Triple-A.

This reinforces the conversation from Spring Training that Benge would not have to battle a veteran outfielder for a roster spot, but could coexist with one.

Stearns also said that Benge’s ability to impact the game in numerous ways will give him ample chances to adjust to major-league pitching.

“Carson is a part of this team,” Stearns said. “We believe he’s going to help us win games this year. The nice thing about Carson is that he can contribute in a variety of different ways, so it’s not all on his bat.”

Stearns cited defense and baserunning as key tenets that would give the young outfielder some more runway to work through his kinks in the box.

Albeit in a small sample size, Benge has shown the ability to play all three outfield spots and move between them without issue. He ranks in the 76th percentile in outs above average (OAA) and 92nd percentile in spring speed. His five stolen bases led the Mets and placed him in a four-way tie for fourth in the National League.

For a team that Stearns built on the premise of run prevention and athleticism, Benge checks those boxes, which gives him value even while his bat gets going. 

That all-around value should keep him on the roster for the foreseeable future, especially while Juan Soto’s calf injury leaves an outfield vacancy in Queens.

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