Are Mets Properly Utilizing The Platoon Advantage?

The New York Mets rolled with a controversial lineup on Thursday to try and utilize the platoon advantage. Are they applying the principle properly?

May 2, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Mets right fielder Austin Slater (40) is congratulated by teammates after scoring in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Mets lost to the Colorado Rockies on Thursday but the discussion about that game heavily centered around their starting lineup. With lefty Jose Quintana on the mound for Colorado, manager Carlos Mendoza stacked the Mets' starting nine with right-handed bats.

Series finale! 🏔️ #LGM pic.twitter.com/D6Smy5pFrP

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 7, 2026

That lineup meant three regular starters hit the bench for the start of the game: Brett Baty, Carson Benge and MJ Melendez. All three entered the game once Quintana exited, but the Mets didn't gain much of an advantage from the at-bats they received from replacements Austin Slater, Andy Ibanez and Vidal Brujan.

Carlos Mendoza says the Mets hitters expanded the strike zone when they had a chance to tack on to their lead vs. Jose Quintana pic.twitter.com/Q9YkNbTZ1H

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 7, 2026

Slater was the most successful, collecting two hits in three at-bats, while Ibanez went 0-for-1 with a sacrifice fly. Brujan, who played the whole game at shortstop since he is a switch-hitter, went hitless in three at-bats with a strikeout.

Those three got starts against the lefty Quintana due in part to Mendoza's belief in the platoon advantage, which suggests that you gain an advantage against a left-hander with right-handed hitters. This is a principle the New York Yankees use a lot and one that Aaron Boone drew heat for earlier this season when asked why Ben Rice wasn't getting enough playing time against lefties.

"Having the ability to cherry-pick when I fire Benny Rice in a big spot, I like that."

Aaron Boone was asked about not having Ben Rice in the lineup today and when we could see Rice in the lineup against lefties: pic.twitter.com/vsc3sSfcgX

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 14, 2026

The Yankees constructed their roster with several players who are historically strong against lefties, including Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario, to use when their opponent starts a southpaw. Boone typically will act aggressively and get his regular players back into the game when the starter is removed, which is worth mentioning since Mendoza served on Boone's staff from 2017-2024, with five of those years coming as Boone's bench coach.

Are The Mets Applying The Platoon Advantage Correctly?

The Mets have been operating with a more strict adherence to the platoon advantage lately. One of the more prominent victims has been Melendez, who is one of the team's few hitters with an OPS above .700. Despite frequently hitting third in the Mets' lineup, Melendez routinely is pinch hit for by Slater when an opponent brings a lefty out of the bullpen.

"[Austin] Slater is here to hit lefties, obviously"

Carlos Mendoza on pinch hitting Austin Slater for MJ Melendez: pic.twitter.com/swR3hdhKr4

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 30, 2026

Pinch hitting for your third hitter is not ideal and isn't fair to Melendez, whose hot start should give him more opportunities to contribute in big spots. Slater has produced well enough to justify that faith in most cases, but the more alarming development comes in regards to Benge.

Few players on the Mets have been more essential to their current success than Benge, who has made sparkling defensive plays while raising his batting average above .200. Benge is a young player who needs exposure to left-handed pitching to succeed as a full time player, so shielding him from a soft-tossing left-hander like Quintana runs detrimental to that objective.

The alternatives the Mets are using in pursuit of the platoon advantage aren't exactly stellar options either. If the Mets were fully healthy, they were well-equipped to deal with left-handed pitching since Luis Robert bats right-handed while Francisco Lindor and Jorge Polanco are both switch-hitters.

None of those three are available, however, so the Mets' alternatives against left-handed pitching included an outfielder they signed after he was waived by the Marlins (Slater), one they claimed off waivers (Ibanez) and a shortstop who was in the minor leagues a few days ago (Brujan).

There is value to the platoon advantage, especially against tough lefties like Tarik Skubal or Chris Sale. Simply applying the concept to every left-hander you face is nonsensical and results in lineups like yesterday's, which make it much more difficult to win with even if you aggressively sub your regular lefties in after the starter departs the game.

The Mets next face a lefty on Sunday in Arizona, when they take on Eduardo Rodriguez, who has actually been tougher on righties (.205 batting average against) than lefties (.237 batting average against) this season. Rodriguez also has reverse splits in his career, with lefties (.259 BAA) faring better against him than righties (.251 BAA).

This will be the second time the Mets face Rodriguez this season after he allowed one run on five hits in six innings of work back on April 9th. Juan Soto was on the injured list by that point but Mendoza only had Baty in the lineup as a pure left-handed hitter in that game, sitting Benge.

There are a lot of factors that go into the platoon advantage, including how the opposing pitcher fares against left-handed hitters, how your own lefties fare against southpaws, and the quality of your right-handed options available. Simply applying a blanket approach to all lefty starters in pursuit of the platoon advantage is non-sensical and could cost the Mets games given the state of their roster.