Mets Now Have a Huge Opportunity to Salvage Their Season

The next two weeks could help determine if the Mets can salvage their season.

May 17, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor (28) reacts after hitting a three run home run during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Mets have quietly begun to turn their season around. Sunday's dramatic win against the Yankees ensured the Mets capped a 5-1 home stand with their 10th win in 15 games during the month of May.

April was a downright disaster for the Mets, who suffered a 12-game losing streak that led to plenty of speculation about the future of manager Carlos Mendoza. The club has played much better since David Stearns publicly backed his manager, with the addition of young outfielder A.J. Ewing providing an additional jolt of energy.

After bottoming out with a series loss to Washington to cap a 3-6 home stand at the end of April, New York risen its record from 10-21 to 20-26. The NL East is likely too far gone for them, with Atlanta already at 31 wins and 11.5 up on the Mets, but they do have a chance to make up ground on the NL's three wild card positions.

New York is still seven back in the loss column of that third wild card spot, currently held by the Cardinals. Getting back to .500 would mean the deficit could be essentially cut in half, which certainly feels like a possibility with the vibes around the Mets feeling drastically improved over the past few weeks.

Why the next two weeks are critical for the Mets

New York's schedule eases up a bit over the next two weeks as it plays 13 games against Washington, Miami and Cincinnati. All three teams are hovering around .500, with the Reds in a bit of a free fall as the result of a 4-12 record so far this month.

The attitude from the Mets' clubhouse seems to be that their main focus is on stringing series wins together, which is a natural way to shave into the deficit they have dug themselves. The Mets have only lost one series this month, when they dropped two of three in Arizona, but made up for it by sweeping the Tigers at home.

"When we were watching it inside, we were just screaming"

Freddy Peralta talks about his reaction to Tyrone Taylor's game-tying home run in the 9th: pic.twitter.com/3KClz9gghX

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 17, 2026

If the Mets can win all four series (a four-gamer in Washington, a three-game set in Miami followed by a six-game home stand against the Reds and Marlins) they will go 9-4 over the next two weeks. That kind of run would complete an outstanding 19-9 run through the month of May, leaving them at 29-30 entering the month of June.

The start of June won't be easy for New York, as the club has yet another West Coast trip to Seattle and San Diego before a home stand against the Cardinals and Braves. Doing good work over the next two weeks is critical for their chances, as even going 8-5 (which would mean dropping one series or splitting the set in Washington this week) would leave them in a good spot at 28-31.

Those results would have the Mets ahead of their pace in 2024, when they infamously fell to 22-33 in May and needed a miraculous heater to get into the postseason on the final day of the regular season.

With the prospect of getting Francisco Lindor back at some point next month as well, the Mets can certainly make things interesting if they can sustain their recent hot streak a bit longer.