A.J.

Ewing

Ewing had been in a prolonged slump, but he now has a modest four-game hitting streak that has seen him go 7-for-15 with one home run and five RBI. Perhaps the rookie is starting to adjust back to how MLB pitchers are attacking him. The 22-year-old has a solid .247/.319/.365 slash line in his rookie season, which began with him at Double-A.

The homer off Anthony Molina was Ewing’s first of the second half. He had seven homers in his first 53 games as a major leaguer, but he’d since gone 46 games without one. Overall, he’s batting .238/.313/.356 in 413 plate appearances. He’ll finish out this season as a regular, but he probably hasn’t locked down a spot in the Mets’ 2027 outfield just yet.

He’s sitting against LHP Tugboat Wilkinson. When the Mets lost Luis Robert Jr. on waivers the assumption was that Ewing’s playing time would be safe, but Nick Morabito is manning center field for the platoon advantage. Since the start of August, Ewing is hitting .168/.242/.212 with no homers and eight stolen bases.

While Ewing’s bat has been ice cold lately – .507 OPS over his last 30 games – he’s finally turned the corner as a base stealer. Two more here give him 13 since July 1st and he’s only been caught one time over that span.

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.

Ewing continues to produce out of the lead-off spot in their order. Along with the three hits, he was hit by a pitch as well and reached base four total times. His stolen base was also his 15th on the season and after a bit of an inefficient start on the base paths, he’s now successfully stolen seven in a row since the last time he was caught on June 29th. Those plus his .266 batting average, seven home runs, and standout defense in center field have made Ewing a very useful player during his rookie season.

As the lone Met to bat five times, he flew out with the tying run on to end the 2-0 loss today. While he’s gone 5-for-5 stealing bases, Ewing is hitting .222/.271/.270 with 18 strikeouts in 15 games in the second half. The Mets need to keep playing him, but he might not be their best option in the leadoff spot right now.

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.