May 31, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) reacts after hitting a two run home run during the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
QUEENS, NY — Slow starts in a new town is customary for Marcus Semien.
After six seasons with the Athletics, he hit .211 in his first month with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. The next season with the Texas Rangers, he did not eclipse the .200 mark until June 7.
He averaged an .803 OPS with 35 home runs and 92 RBI across those two seasons.
That same sluggish start followed him to Queens. Across his first 53 games with the Mets, he was slashing .214/.263/.297 (.560 OPS) with three home runs and 18 RBI.
But, finally, there was a sign of life in New York’s latest homestand to suggest that Semien is beginning to work his way out of it. In six games at Citi Field against the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins, he batted .350 with two home runs, a double, and four RBI.
“Just working hard every day in the cage,” Semien said. “You work hard to make sure you can go out in the game, see the ball well, hit the balls in the zone that you’re supposed to hit, and that’s always going to be the goal for me. There’s been lots of ups and downs, but the work never stops.
“That’s what I love about this game, it’s that we have basically eight months to work as hard as we possibly can to get to a point where we’re playing in the game, and the ball slows down a little bit, and your swing is right.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza noted that Semien has been shorter to the ball and quicker, which has sparked his recent success. It was on display in the second inning of Sunday’s 10-1 win over the Marlins when he turned on a 95 mph inside sinker from right-handed reliever Anthony Bender and deposited it 382 feet into the left-field seats.
“He’s not missing pitches there,” the skipper said. “He’s controlling the strike zone a little bit better. We’re gonna need him. It’s been hard for him, but the one thing for this guy is that he’s going to continue to post, continue to play, and grind out. It’s good to see him continue to get results with runners in scoring position. He’s been pretty good against lefties, it’s just obviously good to see against a tough righty today.”
Semien’s outbreak is coinciding with one of the Mets’ most successful offensive stretches of the season. They scored 25 runs in their three-game sweep of the Marlins after posting 10 in their previous seven.
“I just want to win,” Semien said. “I want to score runs whenever I go up to the plate. My goal is to score a run, so it’s definitely fun to get on base and score some runs and drive the ball, and I definitely want to keep it going.”
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