Wednesday, September 2, 2026 • 6:40 PM
Tropicana Field • St. Petersburg, FL
RHP Justin Hagenman (0-0, -.–) vs. RHP Griffin Jax (6-9, 3.63)
SNY

Francisco Lindor led off Tuesday night’s game with a home run against former Met Freddy Peralta. It instantly felt like it was going to be that kind of night for Peralta, except the Mets would be the ones having the fun. Instead, Peralta settled down and delivered a great start while the Mets bats struggled for the rest of the night. The Rays won easily 6-2.

The Mets still have a chance to take the series against the Rays though! All they have to do is win behind Justin Hagenman in his 2026 debut!

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

  1. Francisco Lindor – SS
  2. Juan Soto – DH
  3. Bo Bichette – 3B
  4. Carson Benge – RF
  5. Jared Young – 1B
  6. Marcus Semien – 2B
  7. A.J. Ewing – CF
  8. Brett Baty – LF
  9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Justin Hagenman

Justin Hagenman is making a spot start to give the rest of the rotation an extra day of rest. Last season Hagenman pitched in nine games for the Mets totaling 23 2/3 innings with a 4.56 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 1.099 WHIP and a 90 ERA+. Hagenman landed on the injured list during spring training with a fractured rib and has been sidelined until a few weeks ago when he started a rehab journey throughout the minor leagues from St. Lucie to Binghamton to Syracuse. Over three starts he has pitched 9 1/3 innings allowing five runs but only three earned. Cedric Mullins is the only hitter on the Rays to face Hagenman before (1-for-2, K).

Opposing Lineup

  1. Yandy Diaz – DH
  2. Jonathan Aranda – 1B
  3. Junior Caminero – 3B
  4. Liam Hicks – C
  5. Chandler Simpson – LF
  6. Victor Mesa Jr. – RF
  7. Cedric Mullins – CF
  8. Richie Palacios – 2B
  9. Taylor Walls – SS

Griffin Jax, the former closer for the Twins, is getting the start for the Rays tonight. Jax has pitched in 29 games this season including 18 starts totaling 91 2/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.211 WHIP and a 119 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed six runs, only three earned, over 16 2/3 innings while striking out 23 batters (1.62 ERA, 1.83 FIP). The Mets have the following career stats against him:

Game Notes

Right-hander Dylan Ross made his major league debut on Tuesday night. He tossed a scoreless inning on his 26th birthday. On Wednesday, Ross was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to make room on the roster for starter Justin Hagenman.

Aiden Robbins homered in his Brookly debut and Jonathan Santucci has his second straight strong start for Triple-A. Read more here.

Three Things to Watch For

  1. Searching for a hit. Nick Morabito is still searching for his first major league hit. He was hit by a pitch for the second time in his career last night, in his first plate appearance back with the Mets no less.
  2. Searching for 20 home runs. Juan Soto currently leads the Mets with 22 home runs. There is a fairly solid chance that Carson Benge and Francisco Lindor can join him by the end of the season. Benge is only four home runs away from 20, and one stolen base away from a 20-20 season. Francisco Lindor has now homered twice in the last three games, bringing him to 15 for the season. One hot week could push him over the edge!
  3. Nate Lavender. Lavender last pitched on Monday where he needed only nine pitches to record two outs. So far in his first 11 games (11 innings) he hasn’t allowed any runs while scattering four hits and two walks while striking out 12 batters. The only blight recently is that three of the four hits he’s allowed has been in his last 1 1/3 innings of work.

Let’s go Mets!