Benge went from talks of a Triple-A demotion in April to a legitimate NL Rookie of the Year contender, and his latest series against baseball’s former hottest team, the Padres, shows exactly why. The New York Mets just wrapped up a solid 5-1 homestand, taking two out of three games from San Diego and cooling them off big time. That’s a huge bounce-back for a team that’s now 58-70 on the season, heading into a tough road series.
Mets Took Down the Padres, Even with Tatis Jr. Going Off
The Mets were on fire during their homestand, nearly sweeping the Padres who rolled into town as baseball’s hottest squad. If not for Fernando Tatis Jr. doing absolute superhero stuff on Tuesday night, the Mets would have had that sweep. Tatis Jr. robbed Francisco Lindor of a grand slam, then turned around and mashed two homers himself, driving in three of San Diego’s five runs in a 5-2 loss for the Mets. But New York didn’t let that rattle them. They got a measure of revenge with a tight 2-1 win on Monday and then sealed the series with a 4-2 victory in the rubber match. Benge was absolutely shining in that Monday win, making back-to-back incredible throws at home plate. One of those throws clocked in at an insane 103.9 mph, making it the third-hardest outfield throw in the Statcast era. Even A.J. Ewing, who has been struggling at the plate, got in on the action with an outfield assist in the second inning. Those defensive plays were absolutely critical for holding onto those tight wins. Benge then hit a two-run homer to left field on Wednesday, putting the Mets ahead, and they held on for the series win.
Benge’s Second Half Is For Real
Seriously, what a turnaround for Benge! He’s solidified his case as a strong NL Rookie of the Year contender right alongside guys like Sal Stewart and JJ Wetherholt. With those two outfield assists on Monday, he now leads all NL right fielders with nine assists. And it’s not just his cannon arm; his glove has been stellar too, posting 3 DRS in right field and 1 DRS in left field this year. What’s truly wild about Benge is how he recovered from a rough start. Back in April, there was legit talk of sending him down to AAA. But then Juan Soto got hurt, giving Benge an extended shot in the lineup. His early season numbers through May 2 were brutal: a .179/.235/.263 slash line with a 41 wRC+ in his first 29 games. But since then, in 92 games, he’s absolutely torn it up with a .297/.359/.459 line and a 130 wRC+. That 130 wRC+ ranks him 14th among qualified NL hitters, and his 3.1 fWAR is seventh among NL hitters, trailing some absolute studs like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Gabriel Moreno, Bryson Stott, Luis Arraez, Shohei Ohtani, and James Wood. It’s safe to say Benge has been really good, and he only seems to be getting better.
The Mets are now heading to Chicago for a three-game set against the AL Central-leading White Sox. Chicago is in a bit of a rut themselves, having lost three of their last four games. The Mets have some serious history against the ChiSox, too; they swept them on the road in summer 2024 and took two out of three from them at Citi Field in May 2025. In fact, the Mets have swept the last two series in Chicago and boast a seven-game road winning streak against the White Sox, with their last loss there all the way back on June 25, 2013. Can the Mets continue that road dominance and keep Benge’s incredible run going? You better believe we’ll be watching!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Amazin’ Avenue.
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