Carson Benge homers, doubles in loss to Jays

There haven’t been many silver linings during this catastrophic season for the Mets, but Benge’s strong play as a rookie certainly is one. Three more hits here brought his average up to .266 and that came with a 2-for-33 stretch to begin his career. On top of that, his 11 homers and 17 stolen bases are a nice one-two punch. While he doesn’t have a standout tool, there’s no holes in his game and he looks like a player that should be a five category producer for years to come.

Benge smacked a two-out single in the eighth inning, swiped second base and scored on Luis Robert’s go-ahead two-run single that proved to be the difference in the contest. The 23-year-old rookie outfielder has been a bright spot in an otherwise bleak season for the Mets, slashing .261/.324/.391 with 11 homers, 41 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

Benge takes a seat with Tyrone Taylor in left field and fellow rookie A.J. Ewing in the opposite corner. The 23-year-old has hit a bit of a rough patch since the All-Star break, hitting .200 (6-for-30) with one extra-base hit and 10 strikeouts during that eight-game span.

Robert Jr. has been on the injured list with a lumbar spine disk herniation since late April. He’s played in 24 games for the Mets, slashing .224/.327/.329 with two home runs and two steals. The Mets will likely trey to get Robert Jr. in the lineup often over the next two weeks to help facilitate a trade. That could cost A.J. Ewing at bats in the short-term or, perhaps more likely, one of the extra outfielders could slide to DH with Jorge Polanco heading to the bench.

Benge continues his solid rookie season. He came into today hitting .302/.362/.444 over his last 15 games with two home runs and seven runs scored. He’s now up to 13 steals on the year and has been one of the few bright spots for the Mets this season.

Benge’s first hit, which opened the scoring in the first, was the most Little League of Little League home runs. Seth Lugo handled the grounder to the right of the mound but then threw wildly past first, after which first baseman Jac Caglianone threw wildly past third and third baseman Nick Loftin threw wildly past home, allowing two baserunners and Benge to all score. They should have just ended the game right then, but the Royals shook off probably the most embarrassing sequence of the 2026 season and ended up winning 16-12.

Robert has been on the shelf with a herniated disc in his back since late April. The 28-year-old center fielder’s impending return will complicate New York’s outfield mix, especially since rookie A.J. Ewing has been tearing the cover off the ball recently. The logical move would be to allow Juan Soto to get some extra time at DH with Ewing and fellow rookie Carson Benge in the outfield corners once he’s back. He’ll likely require at least a week or two of minor league at-bats to get back up to speed following the lengthy layoff. The durability concerns aren’t going away, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Robert were an impactful fantasy contributor during the second half based on his raw talent and track record.

Benge connected for an opposite-field homer off Zack Wheeler in the third inning, which was an impressive piece of hitting. The rookie outfielder has come a long way after a rough April, with much of it coming out of the leadoff spot. It’s a storyline to follow with Francisco Lindor (calf) on the verge of returning from the injured list this week.

Benge’s home run was his eighth of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Max Lazar in the seventh inning. Benge got a fastball he liked on the inner half of the plate and deposited it 420 feet into the upper deck in right field. It would’ve been a home run in all 30 ballparks. Benge is hitting .257 with a .709 OPS and 28 RBI.

Ewing is hitting .278 (10-for-36) with zero homers and three steals in 10 games since the start of June. The 21-year-old top prospect never projected as much of a power threat and he’s gone deep just once through 29 games. He does have seven steals during that span. It’ll be fellow rookie Carson Benge moving over to cover center field with MJ Melendez getting into the lineup to face Atlanta lefty Martín Pérez.