May 27, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Carson Benge (3) hits an RBI single against the Cincinnati Reds during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
ONLY IN AMNEWYORK
QUEENS, NY — Life in the major leagues is starting to feel normal for Carson Benge, and as a result, his stat sheet is trending in the right direction.
The New York Mets’ rookie outfielder has overcome a trying first five weeks to life in the bigs — one that saw him languishing well under a .200 batting average in late April and into early May.
But consistent reps and continuous belief from the organization have allowed the 23-year-old to figure it out on the fly, and that’s exactly what he’s doing. Over his last 25 games entering Sunday’s series finale against the Miami Marlins, he’s slashing .323/.391/.424 (.815 OPS) with a home run, seven doubles, and 14 RBI.
“It feels like every other game,” Benge told amNewYork. “It’s kind of back to normal. I’m not getting too antsy or anything. It’s starting to feel like a normal college, high school baseball game.”
The foundation of his offensive game remains predicated on making the opposing pitcher work. Benge sees an average of 4.16 pitches per plate appearance, which ranks 21st out of 164 qualified batters around Major League Baseball this season.
What has been the more unexpected development, though, has been his success against left-handed pitching. Benge, a lefty bat, is batting .314 with a .415 on-base percentage against southpaws this season. He’s batting .239 against the traditional right-handed split, though both of his doubles in Saturday night’s 6-1 win over the Marlins came against righties.
He needed just three pitches to take John King’s 80 mph slider 418 feet over the center field fence to lead off Sunday’s matinee at Citi Field — his first career home run against a left-handed pitcher.
“He’s comfortable, settling nicely, and making adjustments,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s just playing his games and sticking to what makes him who he is, a really good player, a guy that’s going to put together some really good at-bats. He’s going to use the whole field, he’s going to be short to the ball, he’s not afraid to put the ball in play when he needs to. I’ve been very pleased with how the left on left at-bats have been, so there’s a lot to like offensively and defensively. He just continues to get better; it’s just good to see him go out there playing his game every day.”
An unshakeable mentality has certainly helped Benge stabilize at the big-league level. Rather than reading too much into his rough start and trying to make wholesale changes to his approach, he continued to stick with what made him one of the Mets’ top prospects in the first place.
“I’ve always known I was gonna stick with it,” Benge said. “I knew it wasn’t gonna be easy, and I knew whatever may happen, I was going to do my best every day. It’s a tough game. One of the hardest games out there. So there’s no reason to put extra pressure on yourself.
“I always kind of had it. Not getting too up or too down, just trying to stay in the middle. I just went out there and like to have fun.”
For more on Carson Benge and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
