David Stearns may have already tipped his hand.
Shortly after the 2025 season ended, the Mets’ president of baseball operations made a comment that didn’t generate much attention at the time. He said Carson Benge had a real chance to be the Mets’ Opening Day right fielder in 2026.
Back then, it sounded like a routine show of confidence in a promising young player.
But now that the 2026 Mets roster has taken shape, that comment reads differently.
Because once Juan Soto shifted to left field and Luis Robert Jr. took over center, the roster began pointing toward a very specific question:
Who plays right field?
The safe answer is a veteran stopgap.
The more interesting possibility is that the Mets’ front office already has someone else in mind.
The Defensive Domino Effect
Moving Soto to left field wasn’t simply about comfort. It was about optimizing the entire outfield alignment.
Citi Field places unique demands on right field. The alley is deep, the corner can be difficult in the sun, and the position frequently becomes the key deterrent for aggressive baserunning. Preventing first-to-third advancement and controlling throws to the plate are essential parts of the job.
This is where Carson Benge becomes particularly intriguing.
The former Oklahoma State two-way standout possesses a 70-grade arm, one of the strongest in the Mets’ system. Pair that with Luis Robert Jr.’s elite range in center and the Mets suddenly have the potential to create a legitimate “no-fly zone” across the right-center gap.
That type of alignment doesn’t just prevent hits.
It changes how opposing teams run the bases.
Why Stearns Said It
Front offices are usually careful about publicly projecting prospects into starting roles months in advance.
When Stearns floated Benge as a potential Opening Day starter, it wasn’t casual praise. It was likely rooted in a specific roster calculation.
Right field at Citi Field requires three things:
• arm strength
• defensive range
• left-handed offensive balance
Benge checks all three boxes.
Which helps explain why Stearns may have been willing to mention him so openly.
The Stearns Pattern
There’s also a broader pattern worth noting.
Throughout his time running baseball operations in Milwaukee, Stearns showed a consistent willingness to introduce young players earlier than traditional timelines when their skill sets fit the roster.
Players like Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, and eventually Jackson Chourio all reached the major leagues quickly once Stearns believed their tools solved a specific roster need.
In other words, Stearns tends to promote prospects when the roster structure calls for them, not simply when service-time clocks say it’s convenient.
Right field in Queens may now represent exactly that kind of moment.
Who Is Carson Benge?
For fans who haven’t followed his rise through the Mets’ system, Benge represents one of the more intriguing prospect profiles in the organization.
A former two-way player at Oklahoma State, Benge arrived in professional baseball with rare arm strength, strong athleticism, and surprising offensive polish from the left side of the plate. Evaluators have been particularly impressed by how mature his approach looks for a young hitter. His swing stays through the zone, he works counts effectively, and he has shown the ability to drive the ball to all fields.
Just as important in the modern roster environment is his defensive flexibility.
Benge has the athleticism to handle all three outfield positions, giving the Mets another interchangeable piece alongside Robert and Soto.
Spring Training Is Reinforcing the Possibility
Spring training statistics rarely determine roster decisions.
But they can confirm whether a young player looks comfortable against major-league competition.
So far, Benge has looked exactly that.
He has handled velocity, shown patience in counts, and demonstrated the ability to drive the ball the other way. Carlos Mendoza has also pointed to Benge’s maturity in two-strike situations — something young hitters often take time to develop.
None of that guarantees success in April.
But it does make Stearns’ comment from last fall look increasingly deliberate.
Risk vs. Reward
Every contender eventually faces the same choice:
play the higher ceiling or default to the higher floor.
So the real question the Mets face isn’t simply whether Carson Benge is talented enough to reach the major leagues this year.
The question is more specific:
If a player with Benge’s defensive tools, positional flexibility, and left-handed bat is already showing he can handle major-league pitching in March, what exactly are the Mets waiting for?
The Alternatives — and the Flexibility Factor
The Mets do have alternatives.
Mike Tauchman provides the veteran floor: professional at-bats, on-base ability, and dependable defense.
Tyrone Taylor remains one of the most valuable fourth outfielders in baseball, capable of playing all three positions with above-average defense.
There is also an intriguing hybrid possibility in Brett Baty.
Baty’s long-term home still appears to be the infield, but the Mets have explored ways to expand his defensive versatility. In certain matchups, Baty could see part-time right-field usage, allowing the Mets to rotate his left-handed bat into the lineup while maintaining flexibility across the infield.
But this is where Benge’s versatility becomes particularly valuable.
Benge has the athleticism to play all three outfield positions, giving Carlos Mendoza the ability to rotate defensive alignments while managing rest days for Robert and Soto. When paired with Tyrone Taylor — another player capable of covering the entire outfield — the Mets suddenly have a deep and flexible defensive structure.
That flexibility matters even more when you consider another roster constraint: Mark Vientos.
Vientos’ value to the Mets is tied primarily to his bat. Defensively, his range of playable positions is limited. Because of that, the Mets benefit from having additional players on the roster who can move around the field without forcing defensive compromises.
In that context, Benge isn’t just a young player pushing for a job.
He’s a player whose positional flexibility helps stabilize the rest of the roster.
The Roster Spot Value Equation
There’s also a broader roster construction question at play.
Contending teams constantly search for ways to extract extra value from the margins of the roster, particularly from players occupying the middle portion of the lineup or the final few starting positions. The difference between a veteran stopgap and a young player who can produce league-average offense while providing plus defense can quietly swing multiple wins over the course of a season.
That’s especially true for teams trying to separate themselves in what often becomes the competitive middle of the National League, where several clubs may cluster within a few wins of each other for playoff positioning.
If Carson Benge can provide even modest offensive production while delivering above-average defense and positional flexibility, the Mets may gain something more valuable than a safe roster decision.
They may gain roster leverage.
The Bigger Picture
The Mets don’t simply need someone who can survive in right field.
They need the player who best fits the structure of the roster David Stearns has built.
A veteran stopgap might feel safe.
But it doesn’t materially raise the team’s ceiling.
Giving Carson Benge the job might.
And if Stearns’ comment at the end of last season was any indication, the Mets’ front office may already believe that.
