2026 Mets Positional Outlook: Center Field
The 2026 season grows closer by the day, and it feels like a good time to look at the team’s depth chart. Although multiple positions have questions heading into the season, center field is one that has eluded consistency in Queens for a few years. Here is a look at what the present and future look like in the middle pasture.
Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Big League Starter
Age: 28 (08/03/1997)
Contract: one year, $20 million (team option for ’27)
Roster Status: 40-man roster
Luis Robert is coming off a second consecutive disappointing season. In 2025, as a member of the White Sox, Robert slashed just .223/.297/.364 with 14 home runs and 53 RBI across 431 plate appearances, good for an 84 wRC+ and a far cry from his 2023 All-Star season. In that year, Robert slashed .264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs, 80 RBI, and a 129 wRC+, simultaneously winning a Gold Glove in center field.
Acquiring Robert in a package that sent Luisangel Acuña back to the White Sox provides the Mets with a low-risk, high-reward situation. Although his bat has slumped the past two seasons, Robert has continued to be one of the premier defensive center fielders, totaling seven OAA in 2025, 93rd percentile in MLB. He also stole a career-high 33 bases, a trait that could set up the Mets’ lineup with most RISP opportunities.
If Robert can bounce back in 2026 at the plate, the Mets have themselves one of the elite center fielders in baseball. If his downward trend continues, they have, at a very minimum, an elite fielder and base runner.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Big League Depth
Age: 32 (01/22/1994)
Contract: one year, $3.8 million—final arbitration year
Roster Status: 40-man roster
After the acquisition of Robert, Tyrone Taylor looks to be a solid depth piece on the Mets’ bench, the role he was initially acquired to fulfill in 2024. In 2025, despite excellent defense in center field, Taylor had his worst season at the plate. Across 341 plate appearances, Taylor slashed .223/.279/.319 with just two home runs and 27 RBI, good for a 70 wRC+. Despite the subpar offensive numbers, Taylor’s glove continued to shine, racking up four OAA and seven DRS in center field.
Entering 2026, it seems like Taylor will receive fewer plate appearances than in the past two seasons. If Robert is able to hold things down in center, Taylor may see more reps in left field than center, depending on the promotion timeline for Carson Benge and the positional flexibility of Brett Baty.
Age: 23 (01/20/2003)
Contract: Pre-Arbitration Eligible
Roster Status: Non-40-man roster
David Stearns has repeatedly stated over the past couple of months that Carson Benge will have a good shot to make the MLB roster on Opening Day. In 2025, across three levels, Benge had a stellar offensive season, slashing .281/.385/.472 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI, and a 150 wRC+. Benge played the majority of his innings in center field, proving to have enough speed and arm strength to man the position.
Although center field is his calling card, Benge projects to play left field in 2026 for the big league club. His arm, which was good enough to throw 96 mph off the bump back in college, could prove to be a difference maker in his inevitable positional shift.
Carson Benge. Photo by Kylie Richelle/Syracuse Mets
High-Level Depth
Age: 27
Contract: minor-league contract
Roster Status: Non-40-man roster
2025 was a disappointing year for Christian Pache, never making an MLB appearance. In 70 games for Arizona Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces, Pache slashed 251/.351/.389 with five home runs and eight stolen bases. After signing a minor league contract with a spring training invite, Pache will likely end up in Triple-A again with the Syracuse Mets.
Although it is unlikely Pache sees any big league time for the Mets in 2026, he would be an excellent defensive replacement in center field, although questionable at the plate.
Age: 26
Contract: Pre-Arbitration Eligible
Roster Status: Non-40-man roster
Ji Hwan Bae is coming off yet another season with few major league appearances in 2025. In his 13 games, Bae only saw 25 plate appearances and only totaled a single hit for the Pirates. Bae signed a minor league contract with the Mets, with an invite to spring training, seeking an opportunity with a strong showing in St. Lucie.
Although Bae has had limited experience at the major league level, speed is his calling card, a metric in which he has been 80th percentile or higher in each of his four MLB seasons.
Nick Morabito. Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Coming Soon
Age: 22
Contract: Pre-Arbitration Eligible
Roster Status: On the 40-man roster
Nick Morabito had a strong 2025 in Double-A Binghamton, slashing .273/.348/.385 with six home runs and an outstanding 49 stolen bases. Morobito showed strong swing decisions, but a lack of elevating the baseball held him back from a promotion.
Should Morabito show improvement in his quality of contact, his top-rate speed and solid defense could earn him a promotion to Triple-A in 2026. He’s one of the better defensive outfield prospects in all of baseball.
Age: 21
Contract: Pre-Arbitration Eligible
Roster Status: Non-40-man roster
A.J. Ewing is becoming one of the top prospects in the Mets’ farm system. In 2026, he slashed .315/.401/.429 with three home runs, a 147 wRC+, and a whopping 70 stolen bases across 564 plate appearances. Although Ewing started his career as a second baseman, questions surrounding his arm, a logjam in the Mets system at the middle infield positions, and his blazing speed moved him to center field.
Ewing finished the season in Double-A, where he had a very strong showing in limited plate appearances. If he keeps up his strong performance, a promotion to Syracuse is inevitable.
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