3 Takeaways From Mets Series Win Over Royals: AJ Ewing Leading Hope for the Future

The Mets' bats had a phenomenal series, and there is suddenly new room for optimism around the club's long-term outlook.

Jul 8, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder A.J. Ewing (9) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Mets took two of three games from the Kansas City Royals this past week at Citi Field, their first series win in nearly a month. It was a chaotic series, with the teams combining for 28 runs on the first night, and the offense continued to show its prowess throughout the entire series. The Mets even jumped all over a pair of former Mets returning to Citi Field, tallying fifteen runs against veterans Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.

After giving up 16 runs on the first night, the Mets' pitching came under fire. 31-year-old rookie Matt Seelinger made his major league debut on Tuesday night, allowing an absurd eight runs in his first inning of work before working a clean second frame. It highlighted a bigger issue for the Mets, one that has persisted for a few months now: the Mets' starting pitching is not good enough to support a strong bullpen.

Christian Scott and Sean Manaea tried to change that narrative the next two games, with Scott going five shutout innings and Manaea finishing seven innings with three runs allowed. Those outings gave hope that the Mets could find a way to turn their season around. They may not find their way back to contention, but can find positive signs to carry to next year. That hope is especially strong in three specific areas.

3. The Mets' outfield is set for the next 10 years

Suddenly, the Mets have one of the best outfields in all of baseball. The homegrown rookie duo of AJ Ewing and Carson Benge, complementing MVP candidate Juan Soto, has been on an absolute tear since Ewing made his debut in May.

The Mets outfield since May 12th, the day AJ Ewing made his MLB debut:

Soto: .314 AVG | 17 HR | 1.079 OPS
Benge: .301 AVG | 8 HR | .816 OPS
Ewing: .277 AVG | 7 HR | .801 OPS

This OF trio is NASTY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/a5J2SHhcvL

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 9, 2026

As the Mets look forward to 2027 and begin to build their roster for the season, all three starting outfield spots are locked up. The rookie outfield duo is blossoming into one of the better combinations in the game, and Soto has been able to keep up MVP-level play heading into the All-Star break. This has quickly become one of the best outfields in baseball, and could be for the forseeable future.

2. Sean Manaea can be useful in some form in 2027

Manaea gave the Mets seven solid innings on Thursday against Kansas City, providing the length that almost no Met starter has been able to in some time. It ended up being seven innings of work with two earned runs, striking out six and allowing just one walk for the Mets' veteran lefty, marking six consecutive starts without allowing more than three earned runs.

He might not be pitching like the ace that he was in 2024 when the Mets came two wins shy of the World Series, but he is effective and keeping the Mets in games as a starter. Over his past six starts he owns a 3.94 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP, which is more than enough to keep him in the rotation going forward. If he keeps this recent run going, he could be a key fixture in the back end of the Mets' rotation next year. This team is in no position to be letting quality starting pitching go, and Manaea has been quality for over a month now.

1. The offense might be better than we thought

The Mets scored 25 runs in their series win over the Royals, by far their best offensive output in a series this season. Heading into the break, the Mets offense can suddenly go nine-deep on most days, and has been able to string together hits and walks to pile up runs—not just relying on a couple of bloops and blasts (not that they aren't welcome).

Soto hits this one a LOOONG way 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qGuE7RsjZh

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 9, 2026

The success of Soto and Ewing has been talked about heavily, but the rest of the Mets lineup is carrying its weight right now, too. Jared Young reached base five times, Carson Benge eight times with two steals, Brett Baty recorded a hit each game, and even the returning Jorge Polanco reached three times and drove in a run in his return to the Mets' lineup. It was a breakout, but the group will now be tested against a better Boston Red Sox rotation.