Since our way-too-early Mets 26-man roster prediction last month, plenty of things have changed.
The Mets made some intriguing acquisitions, it was revealed thatJuan Soto is moving from right field to left field, and Francisco Lindor underwent surgery for a stress reaction to his left hamate bone.
In light of all of those moving parts, here is our roster prediction 2.0 for what the team will look like on Opening Day...
REGULAR LINEUP
Francisco Alvarez: C
Jorge Polanco: 1B
Marcus Semien: 2B
Francisco Lindor: SS
Bo Bichette: 3B
Juan Soto: LF
Luis Robert Jr.: CF
Carson Benge: RF
Brett Baty: DH
There are four big questions here: Will Lindor be ready for Opening Day, will Polanco see most of his time at first base, who will the regular right fielder be, and who will get the bulk of the at-bats at designated hitter?
The Mets' expectation is that Lindor, who had surgery for a stress reaction to his left hamate bone, will be ready to go. A surgeon SNY spoke with had similar optimism about Lindor's timeline and prognosis.
Polanco has been at camp early continuing to get acclimated to first base, including drills on Thursday where he was making scoops on balls in the dirt.
As far as right field, president of baseball operations David Stearns said after breaking the news of Soto's move to left that Benge remains firmly in the mix to win a job.
Benge has plenty of experience in right field, including 26 games last season in the minors. And he was primarily a right fielder during his college career with Oklahoma State.
"I think evaluations in spring are always a little bit fraught, and we know that," Stearns noted when asked what the team would factor in while deciding on Benge. "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."
When it comes to DH, that feels like a spot that should be split between Baty and Mark Vientos. Yes, Baty can fill in at third base, second base, right field, and perhaps first base. But his best chance for consistent at-bats could be at DH.
STARTING ROTATION
Freddy Peralta: RHP
Nolan McLean: RHP
Sean Manaea: LHP
Clay Holmes: RHP
David Peterson: LHP
Kodai Senga: RHP
With the Mets having six legitimate big league starting pitching options, using a six-man rotation is a possibility.
And it's something Stearns said would be a good problem to have.
"I think we'll cross that bridge if we get to it," Stearns explained on Thursday. "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."
If the Mets are fully healthy and don't go with a regular six-man rotation from the jump, it's fair to believe that either Peterson or Senga would be ticketed for the bullpen. But Senga doesn't seem like a great fit for the role given his meticulous routine.
Beyond the main six expected starters is intriguing depth.
Jonah Tong, who showed serious flashes during his debut late last season, figures to open the season with Triple-A Syracuse.
The 22-year-old made only two starts in Triple-A last season before being promoted to the majors, so it's fair to believe he can benefit from the ability to refine his arsenal there for a bit before coming back up.
Then there's Christian Scott, who missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery but who should be fully healthy and ready to go. And the recently-acquired Tobias Myers is stretching out as a starter.
Meanwhile, prospects Jonathan Santucci and Jack Wenninger could possibly reach the majors in 2026.
BULLPEN
Devin Williams: CLS
Luke Weaver: RHP
Brooks Raley: LHP
Luis Garcia: RHP
Tobias Myers: RHP
Craig Kimbrel: RHP
Bryan Hudson: LHP
Williams, Weaver, Raley, and Garcia are locks. And A.J. Minter will be in the 'pen once he's fully healthy. But Minter isn't expected to be in big league action until early May.
While Myers can be optioned to the minors, there's really no reason for the Mets to go that route unless they're facing a serious numbers crunch.
Myers was used mainly as a starter in 2024 before transitioning to mostly a relief role in 2025 -- and Stearns suggested after acquiring him that Myers will be used in relief, with the Mets having the ability to stretch him out if needed.
In 28.1 innings over 16 appearances as a reliever in 2025, Myers had a 1.91 ERA and 0.91 WHIP while posting a strikeout to walk rate of 6.67.
Kimbrel is a bit of a wild card after signing a minor league deal, but it's fair to believe he'll get a shot if his stuff looks good during spring training. While Kimbrel doesn't throw nearly as hard as he did in his heyday, he still misses plenty of bats.
Then there's Hudson, who was acquired via trade earlier this week. He was tremendous in 2024 for the Brewers, 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, Hudson 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.
Huascar Brazoban and Adbert Alzolay can both be real contributors, but might be frozen out initially.
Other options include hard-throwing prospects Dylan Ross and Ryan Lambert, as well as Jonathan Pintaro, Alex Carrillo, and Joey Gerber.
BENCH
Tyrone Taylor: OF
Luis Torrens: C
Mark Vientos: INF
Vidal Brujan: UTIL
Barring a trade, Taylor, Torrens, and Vientos are locks.
And if the Mets go with a six-man rotation, that leaves just one more bench spot.
One option is the recently-signed MJ Melendez, an outfielder with some pop who is coming off a down season.
But no one can match the positional versatility of Brujan, who is able to play literally every spot except catcher -- and can provide insurance at shortstop.