September NY Mets roster decision opened up an exciting possibility for 2026

With 5 games remaining on the regular season schedule, the New York Mets made the decision to cut Jose Siri. He hadn’t done a whole lot. Before and after his lengthy IL stint, Siri was the worst of what we could have expected. He struck out in nearly half of his chances. His defense left a lot to be desired. The complete absence of any help offensively made him dispensable even if one of the alternatives was Cedric Mullins.

Subtracting Siri from the roster had a larger impact on the Mets. Arbitration eligible for the 2026 season and even beyond, the Mets could have decided to make a different roster move and keep Siri around for the finality of the regular season then move forward with their original center field plan set for 2025. Start the season with a mix of Siri and Tyrone Taylor and go from there.

Now no longer in the mix barring an unexpected return, the subtraction of Siri does open up a more exciting possibility. Carson Benge and Jett Williams are suddenly one hot start away from maybe getting to the major leagues.

The Mets opened up more exciting center field possibilities from jump in 2026

Neither Benge nor Williams played particularly well in Triple-A upon their call-ups. The numbers were underwhelming. Benge batted .178/.272/.311. Williams hit .206/.285/.433. Each put up pretty good power numbers for such a short stint. Benge hammered 3 home runs. Williams surprised with 7.

Benge is the more realistic center field possibility long-term with Williams feeling more like a second baseman and occasional representative of what is apparently John Fogerty’s favorite position. You don’t create a song about a position you don’t like, do you?

Based on the numbers in Triple-A, there are reasons to hold Benge and Williams back. They failed to light pitchers on fire. Triple-A has been a huge roadblock for many Mets players. The Mets should remain aware of this and proceed with caution but also overlook certain statistics. Sometimes it’s better to just put a player under the bright lights and go from there.

Benge and Williams would probably need to give the Mets no other choice but to carry them on the Opening Day roster during spring training. Otherwise, back to Syracuse they go. This feels like the eventual result. So, what’ll the Mets do in the meantime with no clear answer as to what the position will look like?

How the Mets can plan for CF to start 2026

If unsold on the realism of Benge or Williams in center field, a high dose of Tyrone Taylor is the simplest conclusion. We don’t know about the rest of the roster as far as who’ll be back. Jeff McNeil is one of those guys who seemed to lose favor as the year went along.

They’ve shown little faith in him, but Luisangel Acuna is another one of those players on the roster fringes with a Williams-like ability to create a fire with his feet. Deployed in center field in the minor leagues regularly and only for a little bit at the MLB level, he’s someone to consider although his final minor league option being used up in 2025 would make him an immediate DFA candidate the moment Benge or Williams is deemed ready. The Mets are probably better off seeing if he can be traded somewhere else instead of losing him for nothing. But what trade value does he even have?

Someone of the Jose Azocar variety might make the most sense for the Mets to have on their bench with the plan of having one of the prospects up sooner than later. Whether it is Azocar or someone else, clearance for these two to arrive and get inserted into the lineup on a regular basis is a priority.