PORT ST. LUCIE — Throughout the offseason, David Stearns repeated that Carson Benge would enter spring with a chance to break camp with the major league team.
Benge seized that chance, and right field is his beginning Thursday against the Pirates at Citi Field.
“He made the team,” manager Carlos Mendoza announced Monday in what was the culmination of a strong camp for Benge, who is rocketing toward a debut after just one full minor league season.
The 2024 first-round pick was sensational last season and sensational in the Grapefruit League, hitting .366 with an .874 OPS in 14 games.
His primary competition was Mike Tauchman, who needs surgery after tearing his meniscus, leaving Benge as the logical complement in an outfield that will house Juan Soto and Luis Robert Jr.
“Joy over everything I would say,” Benge, 23, said about his reaction. “Just knowing that I worked hard for it, the countless hours I spent.”