Brett Baty's injury timeline could further clear path for NY Mets prospect's arrival

New York Mets spring training is in full swing in St. Lucie. In addition to getting their first taste of live games, they're also cementing their approach to handling the upcoming ABS system. The way that each player spends their time in spring training is slightly different but ultimately the goal is to be ready for the upcoming regular season.

For the front office, their job is to use the information gathered across the next month to decide who will win the few roster battles they have ongoing. One of these vacancies is right field, left open by Juan Soto moving over to the other corner of the outfield. With a handful of possible candidates to choose from, a recent injury may give one prospect in particular the inside track.

Brett Baty's recent hamstring injury gives Carson Benge a better chance at making the Opening Day roster

In a list of miscellaneous updates from Mets camp, Darragh McDonald reported that Baty suffered an issue with his hamstring. Although it's not a major cause for concern, it could lead him to miss a little time at the start of the season.

The organization doesn't seem to be worried about it and is more than willing to give him as much time as he needs, potentially because he's not the top candidate for the right field job. If the Mets were to give a younger player a shot at being the starter, Carson Benge arguably makes a better case.

Now that he has spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues, the Mets know Baty's strengths and weaknesses. 2025 was the first year that he was able to string it together at the plate, posting a 111 wRC+ largely thanks to the 18 home runs he hit. He was also solid defensively, accumulating seven Defensive Runs Saved combined between second and third base.

But he's not a right fielder. His arm strength (81.2 mph, 28th percentile) was near the bottom quartile of qualified players last year and although he had solid power results last season, it's unclear whether that pop is here to stay, especially since his average exit velocities are just slightly above average.

Conversely, Benge was an outfielder during his entire college career. He spent most of his time in center field but was more than capable in right field thanks to his natural athleticism and arm strength had scouts anticipating him being pushed to a corner eventually. His power was on full display in the minor leagues, especially in Double-A where he slugged .571 across 145 plate appearances.

Carson Benge fits the position far more naturally and for Baty, it may make more sense to stick with what's familiar while he aims to find more consistency at the big league level. He is just one of several players that could share time with Benge in right field this year but now that an injury has disrupted his spring training, he's more of an outfield afterthought than a real competitor for the job.