It's time to re-evaluate the futures of these NY Mets players in 2026 and beyond

Who are the 2026 New York Mets, really?

With just under 100 games still to play this season, there’s still time to figure that out once and for all. The Mets are still in the wild-card race despite a brutal April, and it’s still too early to declare the team as a whole a complete disappointment. However, with more than 65 games already in the books, sample sizes have grown big enough to draw some early projections for many of the players on this year’s roster.

Which players have proven their mettle this year and seem to be in line for a good 2026 season when all is said and done? Which players have done the opposite, playing poorly enough that they’re no longer certain pieces of the Mets’ future? And which players lie somewhere in the middle, still trying to figure things out with three and a half months of the season left?

The Good

Carson Benge

After a slow start to his rookie year, Benge appears to have fully turned the corner to establish himself as a central part of the Mets’ future. Since the start of May, Benge owns a .316 average (5th in MLB), .377 OBP (T-14th) and 150 wRC+ (T-10th). His OPS went from .504 to .733 in the 34-game stretch from May 1 to June 7, thanks in part to five home runs to go with seven doubles and a triple.

The culmination of Benge’s turnaround (for now) was a perfect, 5-for-5 day in the Mets’ series finale against the Padres in San Diego. The rookie right fielder had a triple, a home run, 2 RBIs and three runs scored in his first five-hit game – one which came five days after his first two-home-run game.

Sean Manaea

Somewhere between the Mets’ May 6 game against the Rockies and their May 10 meeting with the Diamondbacks, something notable happened: Manaea’s velocity leapt. Mere days after he averaged 88.8 mph with his sinker and 73.5 mph with his sweeper, both pitches saw a significant bump against Arizona: 91.3 mph on the sinker, 77.1 on the sweeper.

Ever since then, Manaea’s been able to maintain the higher velocity and has been a significantly more impactful piece of the Mets’ staff. In six outings since the Rockies appearance, Manaea has appeared in six games, pitching 20.2 innings to a 3.05 ERA. New York has started to use Manaea in a bulk man role similar to how it used David Peterson. At this rate, it would not be surprising to see Manaea get a true start at some point.

Jared Young

Through the end of the Padres series, Young has officially played the same number of games for the Mets in 2026 as he had in 2025: 22. Though the sample size is small, the results are very encouraging. Young already owns a 1.0 bWAR and 0.6 fWAR through those 22 games. He’s hitting the ball harder than he was last year and seeing better results.

As Mark Vientos – who we’ll get to in a moment – struggles defending at first base and struggles even more at the plate, the Mets have needed someone like Young to step up. So far, he has, and he’s starting to look like someone manager Carlos Mendoza can start penciling into the cleanup spot.

The Bad

Mark Vientos

With just under 100 games still to play, Vientos’ -0.9 fWAR is the worst among qualified hitters in MLB. Only four players are walking at a rate lower than Vientos’ 3.5% walk rate, and three of them have more RBIs and home runs. All of them have scored more runs, stolen more bases and have a better wRC+ than Vientos’ 73.

After struggling throughout a disappointing 2025 campaign, the Mets’ 1B/3B/DH is not hitting the ball as hard, barreling the ball less frequently and not hitting as many hard-hit balls in 2026. Two years ago, Vientos looked like the Mets’ bona fide Third Baseman of the Future. Now, it’s unclear whether he’ll crack New York’s 2027 roster – or even be around by the end of this year.

Kodai Senga

Every day it looks more as though the Mets may not ever get the version of Senga they got in his rookie year in 2023. Since a hamstring injury derailed the strong start to Senga’s 2025 season, he has not been the same pitcher as he had been before.

After a strong first two starts in 2026, the Japanese right-hander allowed seven runs in fewer than four innings in back-to-back games in mid-April. Senga’s fifth start of the year on April 26 saw him allow three runs in 2.2 innings and immediately preceded a stint on the IL that is still ongoing. The Mets announced on June 9 that Senga was scratched from his latest rehab start with “ulnar nerve irritation” in his right arm, prolonging his eventual return to the majors – if he does indeed return to the major league roster this year.

The Uncertain

Jonah Tong

After his rapid ascent through the minor leagues in 2024, Tong made his MLB debut last year to mixed results. In 2026, he began the year with Triple-A Syracuse and seemed to hit a bit of a wall in his minor league career. Regardless, injuries to and underperformance from Met pitchers on the major league roster led to Tong getting another call-up in May.

Once again, the results were mixed. As had been the case during his time in Syracuse so far this year, Tong struggled with command in his second major league stint, issuing seven walks across three games (10 innings). Though his four walks in 3.2 innings in his second 2026 appearance didn’t come back to bite him and his 0.00 ERA, the two walks and five hits – including a home run – he allowed in 3.1 innings in his third outing ballooned his perfect ERA to 3.60. It also led to a demotion back to Triple-A as he works to fine-tune his arsenal, particularly his new cutter.

Tong is still just over a week away from his 23rd birthday and still has time to refine his repertoire and pitching style. This year, for instance, he’s dropped his arm slot slightly and added the cutter. The future is likely bright for the young righty – his persistently high strikeout rate in the minors is a good sign – but his mixed results in the majors so far leave things a bit uncertain for now.

Ryan Clifford

After a 2025 season that saw Clifford earn his promotion to Triple-A Syracuse – on which included 29 home runs across two levels of the minors – his 2026 call-up felt inevitable. Instead, Clifford, like Tong, seems to have hit a bit of a wall in Syracuse.

The issue is not with his power – the young first baseman(/left fielder?) is on pace for about 30 home runs again this year. The problem has been his ability to get on base at the Triple-A level. After slashing .243/.355/.493 in 105 games with Double-A Binghamton last year, Clifford is down to .222/.300/.466 in 61 games with Syracuse this year. He’s also struck out in more than 36% of his plate appearances so far, up from a strikeout rate under 25% last year.

Clifford, like Tong, is still very young – he’ll be 23 in July. But his struggles in Triple-A this year while the Mets have other proven options at first base and in the outfield mean that Clifford’s MLB promotion – that once felt like a near-lock in 2026 – will be held off for another year. New York needs power, but it also can’t afford to call up a young prospect who’s still looking for more consistent success at the plate in Triple-A.

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