Carson Benge Staying Productive as Opening Day Nears

Carson Benge seems like he’s just about a lock to make the 2026 Opening Day roster.

The young outfielder had another productive showing at the plate Friday, reaching base twice in three plate appearances.

Benge has shown really strong contact skills this spring. He’s 14-for-34, good for a .412 average. His hit on Friday was some lefty-on-lefty crime, as he fought off a sinker on the inner part of the plate. It wasn’t a bad pitch from Justin Bruihl.

Benge also drew his fourth walk of the spring on Friday. It brought his spring walk rate — a small sample as it may be — into double digits at 10.3%. Benge posted OBPs above .400 over substantial at-bats in Brooklyn and Binghamton last year, with a walk rate above 14% between the two levels.

The out he made on Friday was a strikeout on a 3-2 slider in the dirt. Withstanding that one exception, Benge made quality and disciplined swing decisions. The stats back it up: He’s had a .400-plus OBP at every level in his career except his cup of coffee in Triple-A in 2025.

While there is yet to be any official confirmation that Benge has made the roster, there has been plenty of chatter and speculation. Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently explained why he believes Benge has earned his spot on the roster. Plus, with Carlos Mendoza saying that Bo Bichette would act as the team’s backup shortstop, the likelihood of carrying both Benge and Mike Tauchman increased.

MMO recently discussed whether Benge and Tauchman could both make the roster, and if so, what the playing time distribution would look like.

Assuming both do make it, the next question is which one of them would start on Opening Day. They’re both left-handed corner outfielders with good on-base skills, but they’re in opposite stages of their careers. Benge has still only played 24 games above Double-A, and he hit just .178/.272/.311 in that stretch. He’s only 23 years old. Tauchman, meanwhile, is 35 and has been quietly productive at the plate over the last three years. Tauchman’s also had a solid spring with an .846 OPS.

Do the Mets give the first shot to the promising youngster? Or do they go with the veteran?

Either way, Benge has pretty much cemented at least a spot on the roster, if not a more substantial role. He’s shown little issue dealing with MLB spring training pitching, maintaining an OBP of nearly .500. He’s only struck out six times.

In 2019, the Mets weren’t afraid to give Pete Alonso — one of their top prospects at the time — a chance. He started Opening Day and ended up winning Rookie of the Year.

It’s nearly time to see if they give Benge the same opportunity to flourish at the highest level.

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