Ryan Clifford fans five times in Triple-A game

Clifford is slashing .252/.327/.473 with seven home runs, three steals, and 21 RBI in 37 games at Triple-A this season. However, he’s also striking out 36 percent of the time with a 13.5 percent swinging strike rate. That will need to be rectified if we’re going to feel better about his ability to hit MLB pitching.

Lambert comes as a bit of a surprise, as he had looked sharp during Grapefruit League play. He should get an opportunity to work out of the Mets’ bullpen at some point in 2026. Edwards will continue to work as a starter at Triple-A Syracuse where he adds quality rotation depth that will be needed throughout the season.

All three rank inside the Mets’ top 10 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, with Jett Williams being the top-ranked prospect, Benge ranked 4th, and Clifford ranked seventh. The Mets’ top-ranked pitching prospect, Jonah Tong, was also promoted to Triple-A on Sunday. Benge was the Mets’ first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, and is one of the fastest risers on top prospect lists after hitting .311/.417/.519 with 12 home runs and 19 steals across 91 games between High-A and Double-A. Williams hit .284 in 95 games at Triple-A with 10 home runs and 32 steals, while Clifford had 24 home runs, four steals, and an .857 OPS in 104 games in Double-A this season. The future of the Mets’ lineup is pretty bright.

New York shipped the majority of their top prospects over the minor-league camp during their latest batch of spring cuts. Sproat is the major headliner here after impressing last Friday in a pair of scoreless frames against the Nationals. Tidwell fired an immaculate inning and struck out five over two frames over the weekend against the Rays. Meanwhile, Clifford, Gilbert and Williams have a shot at ascending to the big leagues at some point in the near future.

The 20-year-old was an 11th-round pick by the Astros from the 2022 draft class. Clifford ranked as the fourth best prospect in the Astros’ organization according to MLB Pipeline — and some publications had him even higher than that and rising quickly. He has been terrific in 371 plate appearances between Single-A Fayetteville and High-A Asheville this season — slashing .299/.399/.520 with 18 homers, 61 RBI, four swipes and an 89/46 K/BB ratio. Combined with Drew Gilbert, it looks like a very nice haul for the Mets.