PHOENIX — Carson Benge’s recent surge has moved him to the middle of the Mets batting order.
The rookie outfielder was inserted into the lineup’s fifth spot for Friday’s 3-1, 10-inning victory against the Diamondbacks as manager Carlos Mendoza searches for offensive engines to drive an inconsistent offense.
The move paid off as Benge laced an RBI double in the 10th, finishing 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Benge entered play with a .325/.372/.550 slash line with two homers over his previous 13 games.
He’s batted mostly seventh or eighth in the lineup this season after a cameo in the leadoff spot last month.
“He’s not missing pitches, using the whole field, putting the ball where he needs to, going the other way when needed and that is why he’s in there today,” Mendoza said at Chase Field.
Benge got off to a slow start with the team, owning a .416 OPS on April 23.
“There’s always an adjustment period and it makes it tougher when we have got a lot of guys going through it at the same time and you are the new guy on the team or the youngest guy,” Mendoza said. “But what I keep telling him is, ‘Be yourself. Don’t be looking at the numbers right now, there is a long way to go and you are too good a player.’ Just keeping it simple.”
David Peterson has been pitching behind an opener, but Mendoza also in a sense considers the left-hander as part of the bullpen and somebody who could be used in relief if the situation dictates.
“I think he’s a little bit of both,” Mendoza said when asked if he considers Peterson a starter or reliever. “When he throws that many pitches out of the bullpen, you kind of treat him as a starter because he needs to rest. But I think every day, every game, depending where you are going into the game, who’s up, who’s down, [dictates] how you are going to use him.”
Peterson is lined up to pitch behind an opener Sunday, but Mendoza cautioned that Peterson (already on full rest following his Monday appearance) could be considered for action if a situation arose Saturday.
The Mets are 12-4 at Chase Field since 2021.
