Mar 13, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; New York Mets left fielder A.J. Ewing (97) returns to the dugout against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
In need of some semblance of an offensive spark, the Mets are calling up outfielder and No. 2 prospect, AJ Ewing.
The 21-year-old, ranked as MLB’s No. 28-ranked prospect entering the 2026 season, began the year in Double-A and was promoted to Triple-A after slashing .349/.481/.571 (1.052 OPS) with two home runs, seven RBI, and 12 stolen bases. In 12 games at Triple-A Syracuse, he batted .326 with an .827 OPS and five steals.
He stole 70 bases across 124 minor-league games last year.
The Mets have the worst offense in baseball, and with center fielder Luis Robert Jr. sidelined with a back injury, the hope is that Ewing can spark the National League’s worst team. New York enters Tuesday’s series opener against the Detroit Tigers with a 15-25 record — a significant failure considering president of baseball operations David Stearns constructed a team that owns a $370 million payroll.
Dipping into the prospect pool is becoming a theme for Stearns when the Mets find themselves at a crossroads. When the starting rotation was imploding amid last season’s historic second-half collapse, he called up the organization’s top three pitching prospects in Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat.
McLean continues to look like an ace of the future in the majors, but Tong’s struggles showed that he needed more seasoning in the farm. The 22-year-old righty leads the minor leagues in strikeouts this season with 52 across eight starts, but has a 4.46 ERA.
Sproat was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in the package for starting pitcher Freddy Peralta.
There is an opportunity for Ewing to get significant run as the team’s starting center fielder, as the injury-prone Robert Jr. has not yet commenced baseball activities after going on the injured list on April 27.
For more on AJ Ewing and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
