A.J. Ewing goes 4-for-4, collects sixth homer

Semien is back at second base and hitting sixth after sitting out the front-end of Wednesday’s twin bill. The 35-year-old veteran has been on a tear at the dish recently, homering three times in his last five games. The other change for New York involves Luis Robert Jr. taking a turn in center field with rookie sensation A.J. Ewing on the bench.

Ewing has hit leadoff in all but one game since July 6, starting against all four lefties the Mets have faced in that stretch. The rookie outfielder is now 14-for-20 on the bases this year, but he’s converted six in a row after an inefficient start. Ewing continues to look like a long-term building block for New York and will likely get all the playing time he can handle over the season’s final two months.

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.

Soto declined to offer a definitive return timetable after hitting the injured list with a Grade 2 left calf strain over the weekend. The 27-year-old fantasy stalwart is expected to miss at least three weeks, which makes it unlikely he’ll return to New York’s lineup until at least late August. It’ll be rookie A.J. Ewing playing everyday in left field during his absene. There should be a clearer timeline from the Mets once Soto is cleared to resume baseball activities in the next few weeks. For the moment, fantasy managers should anticipate Soto playing again this season.

Ewing has been the team’s leadoff hitter in all but one game since July 6. The Mets are committed to building around him and fellow rookie Carson Benge, so this role should last through the August 3 deadline sell-off. Ewing had been off to a slow start in the second half, but he’s held his own overall as a 21-year-old rookie. The 11 stolen bases are nice, but he’s been caught six times. He’d ideally clean up that efficiency over the season’s final two months.

The Mets can’t seem to catch a break. Soto winds up requiring a trip to the injured list with a left calf issue for the second time this season after suffering the injury during Friday’s showdown against the Dodgers. New York’s interim skipper Andy Green told reporters Soto has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain that will keep him out for at least three weeks, if not longer. Simply put, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back until at least mid-to-late August or early September. The 27-year-old generational talent has put together another borderline elite fantasy campaign, slashing .283/.408/.539 with 46 runs scored, 21 homers, 52 RBI and seven steals in 359 plate appearances through 84 games. His absence kicks the door wide open for rookie A.J. Ewing to play everyday in left field.

Mets interim manager Andy Green said earlier this week that Ewing will shuffle between a couple outfield spots since he has experience doing that recently with Luis Robert Jr. handling center field exclusively now that he’s back from the injured list. The 21-year-old rookie has been an impactful fantasy contributor right out of the gate this season, hitting .271/.343/.425 with seven homers and 10 steals in 241 plate appearances across 61 games.

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.

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.

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.