Mets Patience Paying Off with Former Oklahoma State Star Carson Benge

Major League rookies tend to struggle. Oklahoma State star Carson Benge falls into that category.

When the former Cowboys star earned a starting job with the New York Mets coming out of spring training team leadership told reporters that they were committed to giving him as much rope as possible to not only survive but thrive as a rookie. A month into the season the left-handed hitting right fielder was admittedly struggling.

He was batting under .200 but the Mets kept the faith. And so did Benge. And now both are beginning to reap the rewards of that faith.

Carson Benge’s Surge

After a 5-for-5 day today in San Diego, Carson Benge is hitting .318 in his last 41 games (since 4/23).

The Mets made it clear they were going to be patient with the rookie when he was struggling up to that point in April … and it’s paying off big time. pic.twitter.com/KW3zvCZ9Lf
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) June 7, 2026

On Sunday in San Diego Benge went 5-fort-5. He hit a home run, drove in two runs and scored three runs. It was just another part of a terrific stretch that dates back to April 23, according to NewJersey.com’s Max Goodman, who covers the Mets. Benge is batting .318 since that day.

Going back to the beginning of May he was slashing .181/.238/.266. That was after he went 0-for-4 against the Los Angeles Angels. He heated up from there. In May he slashed .306/.375/.426 with two home runs and 15 RBI. In six games in June, he’s slashed .360/.385/.800 with three home runs and five RBI.

It all adds up to Benge improving his batting average by more than 80 points since the start of May, with a season slash of .265/.325/.408 with seven home runs and 26 RBI.

It’s the kind of production that puts him among the best rookies in baseball.

Unfortunately, it’s not helping the Mets win a lot of games. New York is in last place in the National League East Division with a record of 29-36. The Mets are 15.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for the division lead and 5.5 games out of the final NL wild card spot. Benge’s opportunity opened up after a trade. The Mets traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien last offseason.

Benge was a two-way player coming out of Oklahoma State, where he starred for the Cowboys as a freshman All-America and All-Big 12 selection in 2023, and then as an all-American and an All-Big 12 selection in 2024.

When the Mets selected him No. 19 overall, he chose to be an outfielder, where last year he tore up the Mets’ system at the plate with a slash of .281/.385/.472 with 15 home runs and 73 RBI, setting up his MLB debut in March.

He’s one of 10 selections among the Top 20 picks of the 2024 MLB Draft that have already made their MLB debut.

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