Both president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Andy Green met with the media to discuss the Mets’ recent performance and their plans for the rest of the season.
They confirmed there is no current timetable for the return of Juan Soto or Devin Williams. The goal is for both players to get healthy, and the preference is for both to play again before the end of the season.
Playing time is of the utmost importance for the remainder of the season. Ronny Mauricio is still in the minors because there are currently no everyday at-bats available for him in the majors. David Stearns stated that Mauricio’s development has been start-and-stop since his return from injury, and their main goal is to ensure he receives regular playing time even if that is in Triple-A instead of the majors.
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There is currently no plan to call up Jonah Tong, who has had an up-and-down season in Syracuse. Per Andy Green, Tong will not be called up to plug a hole: his return to the majors will be because he forces his way back up and “earns the right” to be with the team. That is the case for all players who join the major league club for the remainder of the season.
One such player who forced the Mets’ hand was Christopher Morel, who Andy Green said will start at first base against the lefty in the Mets’ game on August 18. His playing time will be determined by his performance and team need. David Stearns did not confirm whether or not Jorge Polanco will work into the first base mix at all this season and said their goal is to get him right for 2027.
Defensively, Green stated that some positions will be shared in addition to first base. A.J. Ewing and Luis Robert Jr. will split time roughly evenly between left field and center field for the remainder of the season.
When discussing the rookies, David Stearns described the development made at the majors this year as encouraging, and also stated he is encouraged going forward by how those rookies are contributing to the Mets’ wins. He specifically mentioned Carson Benge as a player they expected to be outstanding going into the season and that he has been outstanding so far this year.
Finally, when asked if Andy Green will stay on as manager or return to his player development role, David Stearns confirmed that Green will not be the 2027 manager. He went on to say that the expectation is that Green will return “to the front office”.
