Like so many other rookies that have come before him, Carson Benge experienced a lot of ups and downs during the early stages of his first big league season. That is to be expected with most players at his age. But to his credit, Benge worked through that period and has come out of it on the other side. He certainly put that on full display in the Mets’ 7-3 win over the Padres on Sunday.

Benge went 5-for-5 with a triple, a home run, three runs scored and two runs batted in. It was a day to remember for the young outfielder.

According to Sarah Langs, Benge was only the fourth rookie in Met history to have five hits and a home run in the same game. He is also the third youngest Met to have five hits in a game, behind John Milner and José Reyes. Pretty great company.

“It’s cool to see, pretty impressive. Rockets pretty much everywhere. Using the middle of the field, staying short, staying on top of the baseball. The left on left homer, he was pretty incredible,” Mets’ manager said about Benge’s performance Sunday.

What he has been able to do has been nothing short of extraordinary. But when you consider that most of this turnaround has come out of the leadoff spot, as a rookie, it makes me even more impressed. In 28 games out of the leadoff spot, Benge is now slashing .308/.362/.462 with four home runs, 15 runs batted in and nine total extra base hits. Exactly what the Mets needed, especially with Francisco Lindor on the injured list.

Many young left-handed hitters tend to struggle against southpaws. Not Benge. Over 44 plate appearances, he is hitting .342 with two home runs, six runs batted in and a .958 OPS against lefties this season. His better numbers have come against them versus righties. Another impressive aspect of Benge’s offensive skillset.

To put Benge’s impressive turnaround into context, he hit .189/.247/.278 with a 52 wRC+ through the first month of the season. Since May 1, Benge is hitting .316/.377/.496 with a 150 wRC+.

This season for the team as a whole has not gone to plan. Being seven games under .500 in the second week of June is disappointing, but there is a lot of baseball still left to be played. If the Mets are going to get back into the playoff race, Benge, A.J. Ewing and the other young guys will be a big reason why.