Carson Benge just had his 4th multi-hit spring game, and Mendoza’s decision is getting harder by the day

Carson Benge walked into Monday’s Grapefruit League game against the Nationals with a roster spot still very much up in the air. He walked out with 2 hits and 2 walks, even as the New York Mets lost 12-6 vs Washington, even though the team lost, his spring line just kept climbing.

That is kind of the whole story with Carson Benge right now. Manager Carlos Mendoza said it plainly two days earlier when asked whether the 23-year-old had anything left to prove: “We get to those last few days and we’re going to have to make some tough decisions. It’s because we’ve got a lot of guys playing well, and they’re healthy, and that’s the case with Carson.”

That is not a no. At this point, it is barely even a maybe.

Carson Benge Is Making This Uncomfortable

Through 11 Grapefruit League games, Benge is slashing .406/.472/.500 with a .972 OPS. Spring training numbers are always noisy, but the underlying approach is not. He has struck out just 5 times in 36 plate appearances, a strikeout rate that would be a genuine strength if it carried into the regular season. His BABIP sits at .481, which will invite some skepticism, and fairly so. But the contact profile backs up the production more than the number suggests. He is not getting lucky on weak rollers, he is squaring the ball up consistently and putting it in play on purpose.

Monday’s game was a clean example of the approach. 2 at-bats that resulted in hits, 2 more that resulted in walks. No strikeouts. He did not try to do too much, did not expand the zone, and did not give the pitcher anything easy to work with. The Mets got beat badly, but Benge was not part of the problem. For a 23-year-old in his first big league camp, that separation matters.

He said as much back on March 4 after his first homer of the spring: “It always feels great, but can’t really focus too much on results or anything, just knowing that the work that I do pregame and postgame is really all that matters to me.” That kind of answer would sound like a cliche coming from most players. From Benge, it has looked true in the box score every single day.

The Five-Tool Case Is Real

Benge is listed as the Mets’ No. 2 prospect on FanGraphs entering 2026 with a 55 Future Value, calling him a legitimate five-tool candidate with one of the sweetest swings in the minors. His grades back it up: 55 speed, 50 defense, 50 game power, 40 hit tool with projection to 55. The one knock has always been that he does not have a single elite carrying tool, but what he does have is a complete package that ages well.

At Oklahoma State, then through Low-A, High-A, and Double-A in 2025, the offensive production tracked upward at every stop. He posted a 168 wRC+ in High-A and a 184 wRC+ in Double-A before running into a rough stretch in Triple-A that dropped his line to .178/.272/.311. That Triple-A number is the reason the projections are cautious, with most systems landing him around a .240 average and a wRC+ just above 100 for 2026.

But he is 23, he has never had a full spring training in a big league camp before, and Juan Soto told the Mets back in February exactly what he thought: “I heard the prospect is big time in right field, I’ve heard nothing but good things about him.”

When Juan Soto is vouching for a rookie outfielder before he has even taken a Grapefruit League at-bat, that is worth something.

What Happens Next

Mendoza has been consistent in how he talks about Benge. After a 3-hit game in late February, the manager summed it up in 5 words: “He just finds a way.” On March 9, when asked what more he wanted to see, Mendoza said, “I want him to continue to be Carson Benge.” That is manager-speak for we like what we see, but we have not made up our minds yet.

The outfield picture is genuinely complicated. Tyrone Taylor, who Benge specifically credited as one of the veterans who has been helpful to him this spring, is in the mix. So are others. Mendoza called it “a nice competition” in early March and has not backed away from that framing since.

What is clear is that Benge has not given the organization a single on-field reason to cut him. He hates striking out, he doesn’t care who is pitching, and he plays every game like someone who understands the opportunity in front of him. With rosters due to be set in the next few days, the Mets are going to have to make a call. Benge has done everything short of writing his own name on the lineup card.