Highly rated prospect Carson Benge wins Mets' right field job

NEW YORK (AP) — Touted prospect Carson Benge made the New York Mets' opening day roster and will begin the season as their starting right fielder.

The team announced Monday that Benge is set to make his major league debut Thursday against reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field.

“Joy over everything, I would say. Just knowing that I worked hard for it. Countless hours I spent, and all my family members and friends that have sacrificed some time for me, and that it’s all going to come true — my dream since I was little — is pretty cool,” Benge told reporters before the Mets broke camp in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

“It’s going to be surreal. I’m going to try my best to take it in. But, stay calm and play my game."

With slugger Juan Soto shifting from right field to left this season, the 23-year-old Benge had been competing primarily with veteran Mike Tauchman in spring training for the job in right.

Tauchman, however, left Saturday's game against Houston because of discomfort in his left knee. Testing revealed a torn meniscus, requiring surgery that's likely to sideline the 35-year-old outfielder for months.

Benge, selected 19th overall by the Mets in the 2024 amateur draft from Oklahoma State, is rated the club's second-best prospect and No. 16 in baseball by MLB Pipeline.

The left-handed hitter batted .366 (15 for 41) with a double, a triple and five RBIs in 14 Grapefruit League games. He drew four walks and had an .874 OPS.

“It’s a big day for the organization. A kid that gets drafted in 2024 and two years later, here we are, giving him the news that he’s going to be playing in the big leagues for us,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He earned it. He had a hell of a camp. We are all excited to watch this kid play.”

Benge hit a combined .281 with 15 home runs, 73 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and an .857 OPS at three minor league levels last season. But he's played only 24 games at Triple-A, where he batted .178 with three homers and a .583 OPS.

Benge was teammates with Mets pitcher Nolan McLean at Oklahoma State, where both were two-way players.

“The way he presented himself on the field and off the field, like, you could tell right away that there's something special about this guy,” Mendoza said.

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