Carson Benge's Surge Unlocks New Possibilities for Mets' Lineup

The Mets won a series in San Diego yesterday to salvage a 3-3 road trip, thanks in large part to a historic effort from rookie Carson Benge. The majority of the Mets' offense was driven by Benge in Sunday's win, as he went 5-for-5 with a triple, a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored in the 7-3 victory.

FIVE-FOR-FIVE!!!

Have a DAY, @Carsonbenge3! pic.twitter.com/JQOqel0FVG
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 7, 2026

Benge became the first Mets rookie since Pete Alonso in 2019 to record a five-hit game that also included a home run. Since May 1, Benge has been on an absolute tear, batting .316 with five home runs and 20 RBI to provide a major lift to the Mets' lineup.

There is some help on the way for the Mets' lineup with injured stars on the mend, but having some certainty that Benge is going to produce is a huge lift for the team. Manager Carlos Mendoza sang Benge's praises after the win, telling the media that Benge's effort "set the tone" for the team's performance in a critical game.

Pretty impressive, it was really cool to see. Rockets pretty much everywhere, using the middle of the field, staying short and on top of the ball —(Carson) set the tone for us and it was a good team win.
Carlos Mendoza on Carson Benge

How Carson Benge's heater gives the Mets more lineup options

A big portion of Benge's success has come since he was moved back to the leadoff spot, allowing him to set the table for Bo Bichette and Juan Soto, among others. The recent power surge from Benge opens up new possibilities for the Mets' lineup, particularly with Francisco Lindor close to a return.

Lindor has been the Mets' primary leadoff hitter for most of the past few years, but he was dropped to third in mid-April to try to get his bat going. The Mets could consider putting Lindor back at leadoff upon his return to drop Benge into the middle of the batting order to take more advantage of his power.

The cleanup spot behind Soto has been a revolving door, with the first base committee of Jared Young and Mark Vientos getting frequent runs there. Putting Benge behind Soto could offer the Mets more protection for their star slugger and get Benge more pitches to hit, as he would be up more frequently with men on base.

Carson Benge lifts his arms up in celebration. — Placing Carson Benge behind Juan Soto in the batting order could be in the Mets' best interest. | David Frerker-Imagn Images

The other option the Mets could consider is moving fellow rookie A.J. Ewing up to the leadoff spot. Ewing has been hitting in the middle of the order of late, but his skill set of drawing walks and making frequent contact makes him more of a fit for table setting than driving in runs.

The Mets would likely want to see Ewing start to heat up again with the bat before they consider moving him up to the top of the batting order. Perhaps combining Ewing at the top with Lindor in the two-hole upon the latter's return could take advantage of both Ewing's leadoff skillset while preserving left-right balance since Lindor is a switch hitter.

For example, one theoretical lineup could look like this once Lindor and Francisco Alvarez are back in the fold:

Batting order #	Name
1.	A.J. Ewing, CF
2.	Francisco Lindor, SS
3.	Juan Soto, LF
4.	Bo Bichette, 3B
5.	Carson Benge, RF
6.	Francisco Alvarez, DH
7.	Jared Young, 1B
8.	Marcus Semien, 2B
9.	Luis Torrens, C

This lineup would maintain lefty/righty balance and offer more run-producing opportunities for Benge in the five hole. The DH spot would likely rotate a bit depending on matchups and who needs an off day, but the Mets would have the kind of depth they thought they had on Opening Day when their fully healthy group was assembled.

With Jorge Polanco, the planned cleanup hitter, potentially further away from returning, this configuration makes a lot of sense. Time will tell if the Mets try this when Lindor is healthy or even sooner if Ewing can heat up alongside Benge.

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