A.J. Ewing homers off lefty in Mets’ victory

Ewing set the tone as the lead-off hitter in this one with a 420 foot shot on the third pitch of the game. It was nice to see him lay off two fastballs outside the zone before unleashing a huge swing for his second home run in as many days. He’s also now hit five homers in the last two weeks and two of those were hit at least 420 feet. That’s not too bad for a player who’s still just 21 years old and was meant to not have much power. He’s officially been installed as the Mets’ lead-off hitter against right-handed pitching and now has seven home runs, nine stolen bases, and a .279 batting average since being called-up in mid-May.

What more can a guy do? It’s his first four-hit, four-run scored or three-RBI game as a major leaguer, and it was enough to take his OPS from .742 to .790. Ewing will probably do a lot of sitting against lefties after Luis Robert Jr. returns, but he deserves to stay in the lineup against righties, and the Mets outfield defense would be pretty formidable with him playing alongside Robert and Carson Benge on days that Juan Soto serves as a DH.

Ewing homered off Atlanta lefty Martín Pérez on Sunday and moves up to the leadoff spot for the second time in the last three games. The 21-year-old rookie has put together a solid stretch in recent weeks, hitting .293 (29-for-99) with four homers, 14 RBI and four steals over his last 30 games. He’s going to be more impactful as a stolen base source than any other fantasy category, but he does offer some over-the-fence pop, which gives him more appeal than the typical speed-oriented waiver wire options out there.

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.

He remained in and had a single afterwards. Although he’s striking out a quarter of the time, Ewing has been really good in hitting .279/.359/.422 through 44 major league games. Luis Robert Jr. seems to have started to turn the corner in his rehab from a back injury, but Ewing should stick as a starter against righties if he continues to play like this.

While not known for his power, Ewing hit an impressive 420 foot blast off Shota Imanaga. It was the third home run of his career and the furthest hit by a decent margin. He was also picked off first base later in a classic rookie moment, but those things happen. He’s righted the ship over the past few weeks with a .265/.345/.510 slash line and continues to find ways to be productive.

The homer was his second since being called up by the Mets, and he fell just a triple shy of the cycle. The dynamic outfielder is now hitting .267 with a .723 OPS through his first 120 big-league plate appearances. Ewing stole 17 bases in 30 games in the minors this year, and he has seven through 31 contests with the Mets. It’s very early in his career, but Ewing is displaying a roto-friendly profile. The Mets now head to hitter-friendly Cincinnati for a three-game set that begins Monday.

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.

The procedural move frees up a spot on New York’s 40-man roster and will keep Robert on the shelf until at least late June. The 28-year-old center fielder has been progressing slowly in his recovery from a herniated disc in his back that put him on the injured list on April 30. There is no timetable for his return as he remains shut down from baseball activities. His extended absence gives top prospect A.J. Ewing some additional runway at the highest level.

It’s the highest Ewing has hit for New York since being called up back on May 12. The 21-year-old speedster leapfrogs veteran second baseman Marcus Semien after hitting .281/.425/.438 with one homer and two steals in 11 games to open his career.