The New York Mets have begun managing the workload of their rookie outfielders as the team navigates the final two months of the Major League Baseball season. Interim manager Andy Green opted to rest 23-year-old Carson Benge on Monday during the series opener against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field.
With the goal of balancing player development and injury prevention, Green said the team plans to carefully space out rest days for Benge and fellow standout rookie A.J. Ewing. The approach is intended to help the young players adjust to the physical demands of an intensive major league schedule, which differs significantly from the minor leagues in travel and game frequency.
“I think it’s a balance of pushing them to places they haven’t been before,” Green stated before Monday’s game. “You have to push them past where they’ve been, but not so far that you put them at injury risk. So that’s just finding them a periodic off-day at strategic times. Carson has one [Monday]. There’s a really good chance you’ll see A.J. get one [Tuesday or Wednesday].”
Benge, a 2024 first-round pick, has made a significant impact during his rookie season. He is the first Mets rookie in 23 years to collect at least 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a single season. Among all MLB rookies, he ranks sixth in total bases (149), tied for fourth in hits (99), fifth in runs scored (54), and second in stolen bases (16).
Ewing, 21, has also demonstrated strong performance at the plate and on the bases. Entering Monday, he had reached base safely in 50 of his first 66 major league games, carrying the Mets’ second-best Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at 2.1. Additionally, Ewing is one of 11 MLB players this season to safely reach base at least four times in a game, record an extra-base hit, and steal a base multiple times.
Green expressed confidence in both players’ potential, emphasizing their ability to influence the game in multiple aspects. “I’ve got ridiculously high expectations for both of those guys,” he said. “The fact that they can impact the game on the bases, in the field, and with a bat in their hands—there’s not a long list of outfielders in the game that can do all those things at the level those guys can.”
The Mets are also preparing to add to their young core, with infielder Mitch Voit expected to make his major league debut Tuesday. The 21-year-old, a 2025 first-round pick, was recently promoted to Double-A Binghamton after appearing in 76 games at High-A Brooklyn this season. Voit has posted a slash line of .242/.349/.745 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 47 runs scored, 12 doubles, and 36 stolen bases in the minors this year.