Soto not in the lineup on Wednesday

Semien takes a seat with Brett Baty getting the nod at the keystone in this one. The 35-year-old veteran second baseman has homered five times in 22 games since last month’s All-Star break, but he’s batting just .203 (15-for-74) during that span.

Baty had previously hit two of his three career triples with the bases loaded, but zero of his 40 homers. He’s still at a very disappointing .215/.286/.330 in 379 plate appearances for the year. His emergence in 2025 suggested that he was on his way to becoming a fine platoon starter, but he needs to get it together down the stretch here if he expects to be a significant part of the Mets’ plans for 2027.

Robert’s homer was a two-run shot off Jared Jones in the third inning, one of 15 hits the Mets would total on the afternoon. He remains a talented ballplayer, but injuries and ineffectiveness have limited his fantasy potential for most of his career. Worse, his stolen-base attempts have cratered in 2026. Robert has played three straight games just once since returning from the IL on July 20. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Mets continued that plan to keep him healthy down the stretch.

No surprise after Benge suffered a left wrist injury on a collision with the left-field wall while making a sliding catch during Friday’s contest. The positive news for the Mets, and fantasy managers, is that initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures, and the Mets are currently calling it a bone bruise. It sounds like he could be back by the middle of next week. It’ll be fellow rookie A.J. Ewing taking over in left field with Luis Robert Jr. patrolling center field and Brett Baty in the opposite corner.

The Mets are being careful to ease the dynamic 29-year-old outfielder back into a full-time role. giving him ample days off to make sure that he remains fresh. A.J. Ewing will slide over and cover center field on Friday night while Brett Baty starts in right field and will bat seventh against Carmen Mlodzinski and the Pirates.

This is probably what the Mets envisioned they’d be getting from Semien this year -- someone who can mash lefties -- and, well, better late than never. Semien is hitting .261/.340/.543 over his last 15 games. He’s still off the radar in shallow leagues, but should get a chance to re-establish his value down the stretch and could be an NL-only league starter again.

After the Mets’ flurry of moves in the offseason, there was plenty of speculation that the relationship between Soto and Lindor was fractured. This would seem to give those rumors a little bit more credence. Castillo mentioned that “tension” was lingering, so sources mentioned “that Peralta in June arranged for the two stars to vent and work through their disconnect.” Peralta and Lindor have confirmed that the meeting occurred, but Castillo reports that “Soto denied such a meeting happened.” The last part is not the best indicator that things have improved, but if Peralta could have helped make that relationship more palatable, it would potentially be his lasting legacy as a member of the 2026 Mets.

The Mets got a two-out rally started in the eighth as Bo Bichette doubled and Carson Benge followed with a single and a stolen base. Robert then smacked a single into left field that plated both of them, proving to be the difference in the ballgame. He finished the night 1-for-4 and is now slashing a disappointing .202/.300/.333 with four homers, 12 RBI and two stolen bases in his first 130 plate appearances with the Mets.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a less valuable player than Semien this season. The Mets only mustered two measly singles and one walk against Chris Sale and the Braves’ bullpen here, but Semien was a special kind of lost. He struck out three times and only saw 11 total pitches on his way to doing so. He probably deserves to lose playing time down the stretch with just a .620 OPS this season plus some awful defensive metrics.

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.