NEW YORK (AP) — Carson Benge figured maybe that scraggly mustache was holding him back — so the rookie outfielder made a big league decision.
“I haven’t really been getting a ton of hits, so I just shaved it off and it worked,” Benge said Wednesday night after coming through with a couple of clutch singles for the New York Mets.
Facial hair or not, the 23-year-old Benge is quickly becoming one of the few bright spots for the last-place Mets this season.
After batting just .136 with two extra-base hits and three RBIs in his first 21 career games, he's hitting over .300 with 17 RBIs and 19 runs in 32 games since April 23. Earlier this month, Benge delivered the go-ahead swing in three extra-inning wins during a span of six days.
“He’s always aggressive. He has a really good swing and he knows it,” star teammate Juan Soto said. "He’s squaring balls most of the time and that’s really cool to see.”
Benge enjoyed a rousing major league debut on opening day in March with a home run, two walks and a stolen base in a win against Pittsburgh at Citi Field. But then he started to look overmatched in the batter's box.
Undaunted, he adapted. Benge has streamlined his approach to the ball and shortened his swing — especially with two strikes. And his growth at the plate was particularly evident Wednesday in a 4-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds that ended New York's five-game losing streak.
With two outs in the fifth inning, the left-handed hitter came back from an 0-2 count against lefty starter Andrew Abbott and punched an up-and-in fastball into center field on the eighth pitch of the at-bat for an RBI single that snapped a 1-for-20 slump and gave the Mets a 3-1 lead.
“Just fight,” Benge said. "Fight for every pitch. Not give them anything. Try to be a tough out. That’s all you can do.”
With two outs in the seventh, he fell behind 0-2 again and delivered another RBI single to center on a 98 mph up-and-in fastball from right-handed reliever Zach Maxwell to make it 4-2.
“It’s really good to see," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Because that’s a pitch that he struggled (with) early on. And he just continues to get better. He continues to find a way. That wasn’t an easy at-bat there. It’s two of them. Left on left — it was also pretty impressive. I mean, you’ve got to give him credit. He’s not going to back down. He’s going to continue to work. He’s going to continue to show up."
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How does Benge explain his adjustment against heaters high in the strike zone?
“Just trying to stay short, put it in play. Not trying to do too much with them, and things have been working out,” he said. "Getting reps, playing every day is definitely nice, and building that confidence up is really good.”
With five-time All-Star Francisco Lindor on the injured list, Benge is batting leadoff for the Mets (23-33) after beginning the season toward the bottom of the batting order.
His overall numbers remain modest at .247 with three homers and 20 RBIs, but Benge has come a long way in a short time: He was drafted 19th overall in 2024 from Oklahoma State and won the starting right-field job in spring training with only 24 games of Triple-A experience last year.
"The one thing that I like about him is you can never really tell whether he’s 0 for 8 the past couple of days or he’s just coming off a couple of games where he either hit a walk-off or had a game like this,” Mendoza said Wednesday night. "He’s going to show up the next day and he’s going to be the same person and he’s going to give you his best. So, it’s pretty impressive for a player his age.”
Benge's athleticism has never been questioned. He also pitched at Oklahoma State, and he's showed off his strong arm in right field on a couple of occasions while making several sensational catches, too.
The high-priced Mets entered this season expecting to contend for a championship, but Benge's rapid improvement and the arrival of 21-year-old center fielder A.J. Ewing from the minors are providing hope for the future, at least.
“There’s something special,” rookie pitcher Jonah Tong said. "I don’t even think you guys have seen the half of it yet. Being in the clubhouse with them for so long, just seeing the guys they are and what they do day in and day out, it’s really exciting. And they’re going to be staples in New York for a very long time.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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