A.J. Ewing’s second-half slide has forced the Mets to stare at a problem they can’t wish away: they need a real backup plan in center field.
The rookie has gone cold since the All-Star break, hitting just .191/.261/.241 with a 44 wRC+. His OPS has fallen 287 points from the first half, and the downturn hasn’t been limited to one area.
His walk rate is down, his strikeout rate is up, and his hard-hit rate has dropped off sharply. None of that means Ewing is a lost cause - he just turned 22, and the issues look fixable - but it does underline how uneven development can be in baseball.
That matters because Ewing still isn’t a finished product. If the Mets go into next season expecting him to handle center field every day without a dependable alternative behind him, they’re inviting trouble.
So the front office has a clear offseason job: find a fourth outfielder who can cover center and take some of the burden off Ewing’s shoulders. The question is where that player comes from, because the in-house choices are thin.
Luis Robert Jr. would have fit the bill, but he’s too expensive and now the Baltimore Orioles’ problem. On the current 40-man roster, top prospect Nick Morabito is basically the only other real center-field option, and plugging a rookie behind a second-year player in 2027 hardly solves the issue.
That sends the Mets to free agency, though the market there doesn’t offer many obvious answers. Robert and Cedric Mullins are among the familiar names, but a reunion with either shouldn’t be expected. Tyrone Taylor is another name in the mix, and he’d be welcomed back with open arms.
The best fits may be players like Myles Straw and Victor Robles - veterans who can handle the position defensively and offer at least a little offense. The comparison points here are Kevin Pillar in 2021, when he posted an 88 wRC+ and +2 Fielding Run Value, and Tommy Pham in 2023, who put up a 124 wRC+ with -1 FRV. That’s the kind of fourth outfielder the Mets should be targeting.
After trying to turn full-time starters out of Jose Siri and Harrison Bader, the goal this time is simpler: find someone capable of backing up Ewing. It’s a less demanding ask, but missing on it could leave the roster in a bad spot if Ewing goes through another rough stretch in 2027.
In Other News...
Mets Prospect Elian Pena Is Starting To Justify The Hype
Elian Pena arrived in the Mets system with plenty of attention attached to him, and for good reason. The 18-year-old left-handed hitting shortstop from the Dominican Republic signed in 2025 for a franchise-record $5 million international bonus, a level of investment that immediately put him on the radar as one of the organizations most important long-term bets. After a slow start in the Dominican Summer League, though, Pena has begun to look more like the player the Mets thought they were getting.
His improvement has already earned him a move up to High-A Brooklyn, a notable step for a player still early in his pro career. Mets officials have pointed to his work ethic and defensive progress as reasons for the optimism, and his rise has helped solidify his status as one of the teams top prospects. The next question is how quickly the bat continues to come along, because that will go a long way toward determining just how high his ceiling really is. [Read more 🡒]
Jared Young Just Changed A Mets Problem No One Saw Coming
Jared Young arrived in Queens without much expectation of a major role, but he has spent the season becoming one of the more important pieces on the Mets roster. In 91 games, he has hit .265 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs, production that has made him the clubs primary first baseman and shifted the conversation around a spot that once looked far less settled.
Andy Green and Jeff Albert have both made clear they believe Young has earned their trust, and there is a growing sense the Mets can plan around him going forward. What makes his rise more notable is how little it seemed to be on the radar at the start, with Young now looking like a player who could stay in the mix well beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Just Took A Flier On A Pitcher With Little Margin For Error
The Mets made a small roster shuffle this week, designating catcher Shawn Ross for assignment and claiming right-hander Cameron Weston off waivers from the Orioles. Weston was sent to Triple-A Syracuse, giving New York another arm to evaluate while it continues to juggle the 40-man roster and sort through depth options.
Weston arrives with some uneven recent results, including a high ERA at Triple-A, though he looked better in Double-A and gives the organization a chance to see whether theres more here than the numbers suggest. Ross, meanwhile, had been hitting .195 at Syracuse, so the move also reflects the Mets desire to keep turning over the edges of the roster in search of a more useful fit. [Read more 🡒]