The Mets’ brief post-deadline spark has faded fast.
Over the last two weeks, they’ve dropped three straight series and, aside from one blowout against the White Sox, the offense has had a hard time getting anything going. The shift in this player meter tells the story in plain language: the previous one featured two fireballs and no poop emojis, while this one has no fireballs and two poop emojis. That’s not the kind of trend anyone wants to see.
There is one bright spot worth circling, though. Juan Soto is back from the injured list, and even in a limited return he’s already given the Mets a look at what he and Francisco Lindor can do in the same lineup - something that’s been far too rare in 2026.
Soto has only 8 plate appearances since coming off the IL, and the Mets are clearly handling him carefully in a lost season. That means plenty of off days, including tonight’s game, and a lot of time at DH.
Still, the bat looks intact. He’s collected two hits, one of them a home run, without needing a rehab assignment.
When Soto was activated, Eric Wagaman was optioned to Triple-A after going 1-for-5 with a run and an RBI.
That Soto homer came right after a Lindor homer, which was the kind of back-to-back punch the Mets have barely gotten to enjoy this year. Lindor has otherwise been in a rough stretch.
Over his last 51 plate appearances, he’s sitting on a 59 wRC+. Even so, he still leads the team with seven runs scored, has hit two homers among his eight hits, and has added four walks and two RBIs.
The strikeouts have piled up, too - ten in that span.
A.J. Ewing has struck out even more often, and that’s how he wound up with the team’s strikeout lead.
He’s in a brutal slump, with a 7 wRC+ over his past 50 plate appearances. His double yesterday was his only extra-base hit in the entire two-week stretch, and he still hasn’t driven in a run in August.
The only real damage he’s done away from the bat has come on the bases and in the field: six stolen bases over the last two weeks, easily the most on the club.
Francisco Alvarez has landed on the other end of the meter with him. The strikeout rate has been ugly - nearly 50% over the last two weeks - and the production has been even worse.
He’s gone just 3-for-33, with a double and two singles, for a -21 wRC+. The walks that had helped him earlier have dried up, too.
He has only two walks in his last 10 games, with three RBIs and no runs scored.
Luis Torrens, meanwhile, has been one of the more pleasant surprises. After an explosive first half of the month, he’s settled into still-strong production, posting a 128 wRC+ over his last 19 plate appearances. Five hits in that stretch, two of them homers, have accounted for both of his runs scored.
Jorge Polanco’s season is over after going back on the injured list for good and undergoing surgery to address chronic ankle bursitis. His absence opened more playing time for Christopher Morel, who has had a modest start with the Mets: 2-for-13, both hits singles, along with two walks and an RBI for a 52 wRC+.
Jared Young has handled most of the first-base work and has earned it, even if his offense has cooled a bit. He’s at a 74 wRC+ over his last 42 plate appearances, but he still owns one of only three double-digit hit totals over the last two weeks. He’s also driven in six runs, tied for the team lead, and scored five.
Marcus Semien is another Met with a double-digit hit total in the stretch, but every one of his 12 hits has been a single. That leaves him at a 95 wRC+, and despite the .370 on-base percentage that comes with 12 hits and five walks, the run production hasn’t followed: one run scored and two RBIs.
Carson Benge has been the Mets’ hit leader over the past two weeks, and he’s making a real push in the NL Rookie of the Year race. He’s collected 15 hits, four of them for extra bases, including two home runs, and has posted a 128 wRC+ over his last 49 plate appearances. He’s scored six runs, driven in five, and continued to shine defensively in the outfield, especially when it comes to throwing runners out on the bases.
If you want the hottest bat in the bunch, though, Luis Robert Jr. has a strong case. He’s been playing mostly left field with Soto at DH and Ewing getting most of the center-field reps, and he’s put up a 157 wRC+ over 43 plate appearances in the past two weeks.
He leads the team in home runs with four and walks with six, and his six RBIs are tied with Young for the club lead. Robert got hot at exactly the right time, because after the Mets tried to move him at the deadline and couldn’t find a taker, they placed him on waivers and the Orioles claimed him.
Brett Baty has quietly chipped in, too. In a reduced role, he’s produced a 158 wRC+ over 24 plate appearances, with eight hits, three of them doubles, plus a run scored, two RBIs, and two walks.
Bo Bichette has matched Semien with a 95 wRC+ over 46 plate appearances, though he got there in a different way. More than half of his nine hits went for extra bases, including two home runs.
He’s scored four runs, driven in four, walked three times, and struck out eight times over his last 11 games. He also missed one game after fouling a ball off his ankle, but X-rays were negative and he avoided an IL stint.
In Other News...
Mets Just Saw Their Luis Robert Decision Take An Awkward Turn
The Mets decision to place Luis Robert Jr. on waivers was always going to invite some attention, but the outcome turned quickly once Baltimore stepped in and claimed him. New York moved him because of the salary still attached, a cost-saving move that made sense on paper, while the Orioles, hanging around the Wild Card race, saw enough value to take the shot. It is the kind of roster shuffle that can make a front office look pragmatic one day and a little exposed the next.
For the Mets, the awkward part is less about the mechanics than the optics. Robert is gone before the waiver process could even settle into a quiet footnote, and the Orioles recent trade deadline activity made it clear they were still willing to keep adjusting their outfield mix. In a stretch where every roster move gets read through the lens of timing and intent, this one leaves New York with an uncomfortable reminder that saving money and losing a player can be two very different kinds of business. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Give An Outfield Prospect Another Chance To Claim A Bigger Role
The Mets latest roster move brought Nick Morabito back into the picture, giving the outfield prospect another shot to carve out a larger role after a brief major league stint earlier this season. Morabito has kept his name in the conversation by performing well at Triple-A, and the organizations belief in him has been clear for a while after he was named the Mets Minor League Player of the Year in 2024.
His return comes in the wake of Luis Robert Jr. being released by New York and then claimed on waivers by the Baltimore Orioles, opening a spot for the Mets to take another look at a player they view as part of the future. For Morabito, the opportunity is simple enough in theory and difficult in practice: keep producing enough to make the Mets think twice before sending him back down again. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Gamble On Luis Robert Jr. Now Looks Much Harder To Defend
The Mets took a swing on Luis Robert Jr. with the expectation that he would be a meaningful part of their lineup, and for a brief stretch it looked like they might have found a difference-maker. Instead, the early burst faded, injuries followed and the move quickly became harder to justify as the production never matched the price or the projection that came with him.
By the time the Mets put Robert on waivers to cut costs, the transaction had already turned into one of those deals that invites an uncomfortable second look. The bigger issue now is not just what Robert did or did not provide, but what the club gave up to get him in the first place, especially with other internal and external options available to fill the same role. [Read more 🡒]