Mets Open Spring Training With 29-Game Exhibition Slate and Position Battles Taking Shape
The mets begin Grapefruit League play Saturday against the Miami Marlins, kicking off a 29-game exhibition schedule that will force decisions on an overhauled roster and test depth around the diamond. With key players on cautious ramps and a closer-in-waiting sidelined until spring, the club’s early evaluations matter more than in a typical spring.
Development details
Saturday’s game marks the club’s first action after a 146-day layoff from competitive play. The exhibition slate will total 29 contests, offering manager Carlos Mendoza and president of baseball operations David Stearns a compressed window to evaluate fit and readiness. A. J. Minter, a late‑inning arm the team had expected to use, hopes to be back by May, leaving room in the back end of the bullpen for another option during the early season.
Position battles are front and center. Prospect Carson Benge is receiving explicit opportunity to compete for the right-field job and has drawn praise for his live batting-practice competitiveness. The team views short-term alternatives — Tyrone Taylor, Brett Baty, Mike Tauchman and MJ Melendez — as stopgap fits until a younger player is ready. Tauchman’s recent track record was highlighted in camp: a. 359 on-base percentage and an OPS eight percent better than the league average over the past three seasons.
Infield alignment has been reshaped by offseason moves. David Stearns signed Bo Bichette to play third base and Jorge Polanco to play first base; both players bring experience but are working through positional transitions. Bench coach Kai Correa has been deeply involved in defensive work, while first-week training also featured Mark Vientos attempting a move from third to first base.
Mets context and escalation
The current camp follows an active offseason that significantly altered the roster and staff, producing a different atmosphere in Port St. Lucie. New faces such as Bichette, Polanco and Freddy Peralta arrived alongside a new coaching staff, and early impressions have been optimistic; players and ownership have noted a distinct change in energy. That optimism, however, is tempered by the practical realities of players shifting positions and the need to protect health after recent injury histories.
Right field bears comparison to past spring competitions: the team last faced a comparable battle in 2019 when a prospect secured an everyday role. This spring, the openness about Benge’s opportunity has made everyday reps for fringe veterans and prospects more consequential than in a typical camp.
Immediate impact
Injury histories and recent procedures are shaping usage patterns. Francisco Lindor underwent hand surgery last week and will follow a slow ramp-up under the club’s plan, while Luis Robert Jr. has been limited after lower-body issues that hampered his offense over the past two seasons. Brett Baty felt a mild hamstring twinge that has delayed his outfield work, and Francisco Alvarez, who took a heavy workload behind the plate last year, is not being pressed early in camp.
Those health constraints have a direct effect: Mendoza is prioritizing caution, which means several established and newly acquired players will see fewer split-squad or early Grapefruit League innings than they might have in a healthier setting. That conservative approach is intended to preserve long-term readiness and minimize early setbacks during a high-stakes evaluation period.
Forward outlook
The immediate schedule offers clear milestones. Saturday’s opener begins the 29-game exhibition run that will unfold over the coming weeks, providing the timeline Mendoza and Stearns will use to assess candidates for Opening Day roles. A. J. Minter’s target of a May return provides a concrete marker for bullpen composition decisions in the near term.
Camp priorities for the coming days include continued defensive work under Kai Correa, increased reps for Benge in the outfield, and monitored ramp-ups for Lindor, Robert Jr., Baty and Alvarez. What makes this notable is that the compressed slate and personnel shifts compress evaluation time, forcing the organization to weigh short-term stopgaps against longer-term developmental plans with measurable timelines already in play.
