Thursday, March 19, 2026 • 6:05 PM
CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches • West Palm Beach, FL
RHP Kodai Senga (0-0, 3.18) vs. LHP Peter Lambert (1-0, 1.00)

The Mets emerge from their off day with the final stretch of spring training games until Opening Day! On Tuesday, the Mets moved both Christian Scott and MJ Melendez to Syracuse, which clears up their path forward a bit.

Scott is recovering from a 2024 Tommy John surgery and finally returned to the mound this spring. Over two starts and six innings, he allowed three runs on six hits and four walks while striking out eight. MJ Melendez was trying to break camp as the Mets’ right fielder, and he had a fairly solid spring, going 4-for-11 at the plate with two home runs and a double. He’s just facing really strong competition from Carson Benge and Mike Tauchman.

As we head into the final few games of spring training, the Mets will need to finalize their rotation. Do they start with a six-man (Peralta, McLean, Peterson, Manaea, Senga and Holmes), or does one starter get dropped to the pen or Syracuse? Does Carson Benge make the team out of camp, or does Mike Tauchman find his way onto the 40-man roster? Who gets the final bullpen spot? We only have a few more games to find out!

Juan Soto – Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Mets Lineup

  1. Francisco Lindor – SS
  2. Juan Soto – LF
  3. Bo Bichette – 3B
  4. Jorge Polanco – 1B
  5. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
  6. Brett Baty – RF
  7. Marcus Semien – 2B
  8. Mark Vientos – DH
  9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Starting Pitcher: Kodai Senga

Opposing Lineup

  1. Jose Altuve – 2B
  2. Isaac Paredes – 1B
  3. Yordan Alvarez – LF
  4. Carlos Correa  – SS
  5. Cam Smith – RF
  6. Zach Cole – CF
  7. Christian Walker – DH
  8. Yainer Diaz – C
  9. Shay Whitcomb – 3B

Starting Pitcher: Peter Lambert

Game Notes

  • The Mets have optioned Joey Gerber and Ronny Mauricio to Triple-A Syracuse. Brandon Waddell and Mike Baumann were both reassigned to minor league camp.
  • Carlos Mendoza said Bo Bichette will play shortstop on Thursday. Bichette hasn’t played the position since he injured his hamstring last September.
  • Craig Kimbrel‘s opt-out date is today, but he isn’t expected to exercise that clause, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Kimbrel hasn’t made the major league roster yet, but the two sides are continuing to discuss possibilities for him before Opening Day.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Kodai Senga. Senga is coming off a fantastic spring start, in which he struck out five of the nine batters he faced in three shutout innings. He did it with a fastball that averaged 96.5 mph and some slow curveballs. If this is the version of Senga the Mets get in 2026, they will have a formidable top-three of the rotation.
  2. Opening Day lineup? Today’s lineup could be the lineup if Carson Benge doesn’t make the Opening Day Roster. Lindor, Soto and Bichette at the top of the lineup puts Bichette in the position that he loves to be in – batting with runners on base. They were always going to be the top three; everyone else is debatable, and we’ll probably see them slide around as the year goes on.
  3. Juan Soto. This is Juan Soto’s first game since returning from the WBC. Soto was 2-for-12 at the plate with a double and a strikeout before leaving camp in early March. He turned it on a bit in the WBC, going 6-for-23 with five runs scored, two home runs and five walks (.393 OBP).

Let’s go Mets!