Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns opened his first availability of spring training by sharing two pieces of big news.
On the injury front, Francisco Lindor has a hamate injury that could require surgery. Even if Lindor needs surgery, Stearns said he's confident the shortstop will be ready for Opening Day, which is on March 26 at Citi Field.
On the position change front, Juan Sotois moving from right field to left field -- something Stearns explained in depth.
Here are the other key topics Stearns hit on...
Carson Benge the right fielder?
With Soto shifting to left field, that leaves right field as Benge's spot to potentially win.
Benge has plenty of experience in right field, including 26 games last season. And he was primarily a right fielder during his college career with Oklahoma State.
"We've been consistent throughout the offseason that Carson's gonna come to camp with a chance to make our team -- that remains the same," Stearns said. "He's played a lot of right field during his time in the minor leagues. We're confident with him out there. We also think Brett (Baty) is gonna be able to adjust out there just fine. Tyrone Taylor we're confident is a very quality right fielder. So we feel like we've pretty good options to work through there. MJ Melendez, who may become official here shortly, could potentially be another option."
Benge was tremendous last season across three minor league levels, ending the year with Triple-A Syracuse.
Regarding how the Mets will determine whether Benge makes the team or not, Stearns said the decision will be layered.
"I think evaluations in spring are always a little bit fraught, and we know that," Stearns noted. "We want to see quality at-bats, we want to see him handle the outfield. It's also gonna depend on what some other guys do, right? It's not all going to be dependent on how Carson looks.
"We're not gonna get too preoccupied with surface line results one way or the other, and we'll make the best decision that we can on Opening Day -- recognizing that Opening Day is one day, and rosters can change pretty quickly."
Will Mets use a six-man rotation?
As things currently stand, the Mets have six major league starting pitchers -- Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, and Kodai Senga.
To Stearns, that's a good "problem" to have.
"I think we'll cross that bridge if we get to it," Stearns explained about utilizing a potential six-man rotation. "We've got six healthy guys feeling really good right now. If we have six healthy guys feeling really good on Opening Day, I will gladly work through that challenge at that point.
"And we may decide at times to go with a six-man, or we may not. We'll figure that out. That's a really good problem to have if that's where we are on Opening Day."
New York's other rotation options include Tobias Myers (who is stretching out as a starter), Jonah Tong, and Christian Scott.
A.J. Minter's timeline
The expectation all winter has been that Minter, who is recovering from season-ending lat surgery, will not be ready for Opening Day.
Speaking on Tuesday, Stearns said a "realistic return" date for Minter is early May.
Minter is at camp, and was throwing on the field on Tuesday.
Brooks Raley is the only left-hander viewed as a lock to make the Opening Day bullpen.
The Mets added depth there earlier Tuesday, acquiring left-handed reliever Bryan Hudson from the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations.
Hudson, 28, had a 4.80 ERA (5.34 FIP) and 1.86 WHIP in 15.0 innings last season for the Brewers and White Sox.
He was tremendous in 2024 for Milwaukee, during what was his first full big league season. In 62.1 innings over 43 games, Hudson had a 1.73 ERA (3.60 FIP) and 0.72 WHIP while striking out 62.
Standing at 6'8", Hudson gets elite extension from a low-angle delivery (he was in the 99th percentile last season). He featured mainly a four-seam fastball and sweeper in 2025. In 2024, he also relied heavily on a cutter, which he threw 24 percent of the time (Hudson threw the cutter just three percent of the time last season).
Hudson is out of minor league options, which means the Mets cannot send him to the minors without exposing him to waivers.