Coming off a rough start to his rookie season, Carson Benge is continuing to thrive at the plate. The New York Mets outfielder made some history when he became the third-youngest player in franchise history to record five hits in one game. In Sunday’s matchup against the San Diego Padres, he went 5-for-5 with three singles, a home run and an RBI triple.
“It’s always nice to get two hits, let alone five, so being able to do that was definitely special,” Benge said.
Carson Benge is Thriving
For a Mets team that has been derailed by a slew of injuries, Benge has emerged as a true diamond in the rough. Yet, it wasn’t always like that for the 23-year-old. He was hitting.136 on a .416 OPS in his first 21 games. But since that point, he has been slashing .318/.371/.471 on a .867 OPS with six home runs and 23 RBI.
Carson Benge ended May with 33 hits, seven doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI. His performance against the Padres took it up a notch. He ripped a single to center field in the first, before Juan Soto scored him on a ground out. Benge hit two more singles to the same spot during the third and fifth.
After MJ Melendez went deep in the sixth, Benge followed up with a solo shot of his own. Two innings later, he smacked a triple to right field, which scored his team’s seventh run of the afternoon. His historic five hit outing put the finishing touches on a 7–3 victory for the Mets.
“I’m not surprised. We’ve seen the type of player and the talent and the things he can do on a baseball field. He’s settling in, is comfortable and is going out and playing his game,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re going to see a lot of games like that moving forward, where he’s totally locked in, and he’s doing a lot of things to help us win games.”
Looking Ahead
Carson Benge has emerged as an impact player when he bats lead off. In 28 games at that spot, he’s batting .308 with an .824 OPS. If he continues this streak, he can permanently take the spot from Francisco Lindor, who is out with a quad injury. But when the superstar shortstop returns, he can move down to third in the order behind Soto.
“Pretty impressive, it was really cool to see. Rockets pretty much everywhere, using the middle of the field, staying short and on top of the ball. He set the tone for us,” Mendoza added.
Benge’s next opportunity to continue to thrive will come during Mets next homestand, which starts against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on Tuesday.
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