There may be a major position battle in right field this spring training for the New York Mets.
All-Star outfielder Juan Soto will shift from right to left field, as he’s been taking reps there this spring and plans to play at the corner spot in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Manning center field will be Luis Robert Jr., who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a trade earlier this winter.
Two names to keep tabs on for the Mets in right field: Carson Benge, the No. 16-ranked prospect in baseball, and Mike Tauchman, a 35-year-old veteran who signed a minor league contract with the NL East club last week.
Tauchman named ‘dark horse’ Opening Day candidate
Usually, a veteran vying for playing time against a top prospect loses the battle. But Benge’s inexperience at Triple-A may work in Tauchman’s favor.
“When the Mets signed Tauchman after the official start of camp, it added depth to their right-field competition. The people’s choice to win that job is No. 2 prospect Carson Benge, who has a real chance to make the team,” MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo wrote Sunday.
“But Benge also has just 24 largely unsuccessful games of experience above Double-A. If he falters in Grapefruit League play, it will thrust the door wide open for the 35-year-old Tauchman to win the gig.”
Tauchman spent the 2025 season with the White Sox, hitting .263/.356/.400 with nine home runs and 17 doubles in 93 games. He debuted in 2017 with the Colorado Rockies and sparked his career with the New York Yankees, posting a career high 3.9 bWAR and a .865 OPS in just 87 games in 2019.
