From James (@j4m35p4lmtr33 on X): How many of the Mets top 5 prospects do you think can make the Opening Day roster in 2026?

For reference, the top five I will be referencing comes from my midseason top 30 update. Mets No. 4 prospect Nolan McLean is slated to make his major league debut on Saturday, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.

It is an exciting time for the Mets, as the top six prospects in their system are now all at the Triple-A level, making them just one stop away from the big leagues.

With that said, without accounting for injuries, etc., it is hard to envision the Mets carrying more than two of these prospects come Opening Day 2026. More likely just one. I look at No. 1 prospect Jett Williams and No. 2 prospect Jonah Tong as options during the 2026 season, but probably not right out of the gate.

My No. 3 prospect, Carson Benge, has had a meteoric rise through the Mets' system in his first professional season, hitting .308 with a .926 OPS with 24 doubles, 12 home runs and 60 RBI in 93 games between High-A Brooklyn, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. 

The Mets are continuing to develop Benge as a center fielder, and he has made strides as the season has worn on.

With center field being unsettled beyond 2025, there is at least a chance that Benge could push for an Opening Day spot if he performs both offensively and defensively at the Triple-A level and shows growth in spring training next year.

I believe the Mets would very much want one of McLean and No. 5 prospect Brandon Sproat to be a part of the Opening Day 2026 rotation. Unless their plan is to go with a six-man staff out of the gate, it may be a competition for one spot, if they don’t fill that externally via a veteran trade or the free agent market. 

The Mets have Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson and a second year of Clay Holmes as a starter under contract.

Whether these young players are on the Opening Day roster or not, 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for the Mets, as far as invigorating high-end young talent into what is already a strong roster.

From Noel Eisenberg (@NoelEisenberg on X): Marco Vargas came to the Mets as a helium prospect. How would you characterize him now? Is there anyone else in the organization you’d currently call a helium prospect?

Marco Vargas was acquired from the Marlins in the David Robertson trade at the 2023 trade deadline, when he was one of the most impressive prospects in the Florida Complex League. He quickly rose as a top 10 prospect in the Mets' system. That’s the helium that Noel speaks of.

Since then, Vargas missed most of 2024 with injury, and 2025 has been an up-and-down season. At this point, most believe he projects as more of a backup infielder if his hit tool can carry him through the upper minors.

As far as current prospects with helium, that list must be topped by outfielder A.J. Ewing, who went from unranked in the preseason top 30 to making it all the way to No. 9  in the system. Ewing was just promoted to Double-A Binghamton after he hit .288 with a .775 OPS with 44 stolen bases in 78 games for High-A Brooklyn. 

He is a plus athlete who thrives in his pitch recognition skills and swing decisions. He can stand for some physical maturation to impact the baseball more, but with his speed, he can thrive as a gap-to-gap line drive hitter and utilizing his wheels.

Another name worth mentioning is No. 14 prospect, right-hander Will Watson. The Mets took Watson in the seventh round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of USC. In 93 innings to start his pro career, split between Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn, he has a 2.71 ERA with 109 strikeouts. 

Watson's velocity has ticked up in pro ball -- he’s now sitting 94-95 mph and touching 97. He will need to continue to refine his command, but this has the early signs of another Mets pitching development win.

Kyle Harrison making progress as depth rotation option for Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Red Sox acquired four players from the Giants when they traded Rafael Devers to the West Coast.

One of those players has already been traded away. Another one has a 6.23 ERA in 14 appearances out of Boston’s bullpen. And one is still in rookie ball.

There is still hope for the fourth to make a positive contribution in 2025.

That player would be Kyle Harrison, the left-handed starting pitcher who on Wednesday completed his sixth consecutive start allowing two or fewer runs for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox.

Facing the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa on Wednesday, Harrison pitched five shutout innings, allowing just one hit with eight strikeouts and four walks in what was eventually a 1-0 loss for Worcester.

It was the latest outing in what’s been a strong turnaround following a rocky start with Worcester. After the cross-country trade, Harrison allowed 11 earned runs in 13 innings over his first three starts with the WooSox, giving him a 7.62 ERA. That came after Harrison posted a 3.46 ERA in six Triple-A starts for Sacramento this year.

Since then, though, Harrison has allowed just five earned runs over 28 1/3 innings, good for a clean 1.59 ERA over those six starts.

Harrison, who had a 4.56 ERA in eight appearances (four starts) at the major league level this season with San Francisco, is now 4-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 15 starts in Triple-A this year. He has not had tremendous length, averaging a bit more than 4 1/3 innings pitched per start in the minors. He’s also struggled a bit with command, issuing six walks in one outing on July 27 and averaging 2.7 walks per start with Worcester.

But his recent effectiveness at keeping runs off the board could make him an option for the Red Sox to consider down the stretch in August and September.

“If needed, we believe he can do it here,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said prior to Wednesday night’s loss in Houston, according to The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey. “But right now, where we’re at, we feel comfortable with the guys that we have here. But he’s an option. … We’re deeper than people think. He’s part of it.”

Despite being without Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and even Hunter Dobbins, Cora is able to have a reliable rotation at the moment. With Garrett Crochet as the clear-cut No. 1 and Brayan Bello as the No. 2, the Red Sox are currently riding Lucas Giolito, Walker Buehler and the recently acquired Dustin May to round out the rotation.

Yet with Buehler — who took the loss on Wednesday after allowing four runs over six innings — having a very up-and-down season, and with May already doubling his career-high in innings pitched this season, the Red Sox may very well need a few starts out of somewhere else in some high-stakes games down the stretch. While Cooper Criswell may get the first call, Harrison has made some significant strides to earning that chance with Boston.

The start of Wednesday's game between the Mets and Braves at Citi Field has been delayed due to weather in the area, the team announced.

A new first-pitch time of 8:45 p.m. is currently set.

The pre-game ceremony to honor Pete Alonso breaking Darryl Strawberry's Mets home run record was postponed to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

David Peterson (7-5, 2.98 ERA) is the Mets' scheduled starter. For the Braves, it's former Met Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 6.18 ERA) as New York looks to build on Tuesday's historic night.

The victory snapped the team's seven-game losing streak.

After Wednesday's game, the Mets wrap up their series with the Braves on Thursday before hosting the Seattle Mariners this weekend.

Phillies' bats silent, defense poor in second straight loss to Reds originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CINCINNATI – The fundamentally sound baseball that helped the Phillies win eight of 10 games recently abandoned them Wednesday at Great American Ballpark. That helped the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-0 win.

The Phillies’ bats didn’t help either as they stayed quiet for the second consecutive game with just three hits, 10 strikeouts and five men left on base. Monday, their lone run came on a Bryce Harper solo shot in the ninth inning in a 6-1 loss. There was a total of five runs scored by the Phillies this series.

Starter Cristopher Sánchez was cruising in the fourth with two out and nobody on before a two-out walk to Austin Hays and an RBI double by Noelvi Marte. After getting through an easy fifth, Sánchez unraveled in the sixth and gave up several hits behind him.

Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz singled with one out. After Sánchez got Miguel Andujar to pop out to second, Hays doubled down the left field line to score De La Cruz. Marte then singled to score Hays, and that’s when the Phillies turned into Little League imitators in the field.

Marsh scooped Marte’s single on two hops and made a strong throw home to J.T. Realmuto, who leaped to knock it down. Error on Marsh.

“The overthrow from Marsh, I understand it, Thomson said. “He’s trying to throw the guy out at the plate because that puts us down three and then we’re in a big hole. He was trying to throw it in the air and just threw it a little bit too high.”

Sánchez then picked it up and threw wildly to third, allowing Marte to score. Error on Sánchez. He was able to get the final out of the sixth but his night was over after allowing seven hits and three earned runs.

“On a personal note I think it was a bad start,” said Sánchez. “We lost the game. I always try to go out and have as many scoreless innings as I can to keep the team in the fight. Today just wasn’t the case.”

The Reds weren’t done after they chased Sánchez after 81 pitches. Jordan Romano came into the game in the seventh and gave up three hits and four runs, all coming on an Andujuar grand slam to left.

Oddly, the Reds scored all their runs in the game with two outs.

“We got to get the (bats) going, but we faced pretty good pitching on this trip,” said Rob Thomson. “But we got to find a way to beat good pitching.”

Cincinnati started Hunter Greene, a pitcher who hadn’t thrown in the big leagues since June 3 due to a groin injury. He also didn’t impress much in his rehab as in four minor league starts he allowed 10 hits, nine earned runs and four home runs in 13 innings. But he stymied the Phils by allowing no runs and just three hits in his six innings. He also struck out six.

“Power stuff,” said Thomson. “He had power fastball, power slider, then he broke out the split. He had really good stuff. He was on today. He was throwing strikes.”

A ten-game road trip through three cities started so promising, with a combined three-game sweep against the Texas Rangers then a win against the Reds in the series-opener. Perhaps a four-game visit to the lowly Washington Nationals will be just the remedy the team needs.

Plus, there could be reinforcement coming in the shape of Aaron Nola. He seems ready to return to the team on Sunday. That game would normally be a start for Ranger Suárez, but the team has yet to announce who their starter will be.

“Just two bad games,” said Bryce Harper. “Obviously we didn’t play well the last two. Got to clean that up going to D.C. Big weekend ahead and hopefully win the series there.”

McLean gets the call

The incessant chatter surrounding top prospects Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat as rotation replacements for an ineffective Frankie Montas has finally subsided. The Mets are moving the veteran right-hander to the bullpen, and calling up McLean to start Saturday's game against the Mariners at Citi Field.

McLean's big-league promotion seemed inevitable in recent weeks, as injuries and inconsistencies have hampered the Mets' pitching staff all summer long. 

While both youngsters "were in the conversation" for this necessary call-up, according to Mendoza, McLean had a clear edge as the No. 1 prospect in the system.

"There's a lot to like. We all see the pitches," Mendoza said. "Everyone talks about the sweeper, the mid-90s, the sinker, everything else. But the way he carries himself... It's just about how he carries himself, how he deals with adversity, his ability to navigate lineups. The way he fields his position, controls the running game... I'm excited to have him here."

Whether or not the Mets truly wanted McLean in the majors this early, the 24-year-old right-hander undoubtedly earned his promotion. He's thrived between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse this season, boasting a 2.45 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 127 strikeouts across 113.2 total innings.

The Mets love McLean's arsenal -- Mendoza mentioned a stellar sweep that complements a mid-90s fastball -- and his first full season since transitioning away from two-way player duties has exceeded expectations. 

When asked about McLean's potential in the batter's box, Mendoza dismissed it. He's going to stay on the mound, even though his role on the Mets' roster is currently undefined. For now, he's a rotation fixture. But the Mets will carefully monitor his workload, and it's possible McLean finds his way to the bullpen once the postseason nears.

"Every time you're able to call up a prospect, whether it's a position player or pitcher, the expectation here is to help us win games," Mendoza said. "That's what we'll get from a lot of these guys... We're going to need these guys. Shoutout to the development people... There's not just one guy, there's options."

McLean last pitched on Sunday, and was limited to four innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts (74 pitches). In 13 starts with Triple-A Syracuse this season, he held opposing hitters to a measly .184/.285/291 slash line.

The return of Blackburn

McLean's promotion wasn't the only news linked to the Mets' pitching staff on Wednesday. Paul Blackburn was officially activated off the injured list, after spending a handful of weeks rehabbing a shoulder issue.

The veteran right-hander isn't returning to the rotation, however. Blackburn will be working as a reliever, and Mendoza appreciates his willingness to adjust his routine with a team-first mentality.

"He was in Syracuse, getting ready for a start earlier today. We got a hold of him, and kind of just presented the option. Do you want to stay [in Triple-A] and pitch, or do you want to come back and be in the bullpen? And without hesitation, he's like, 'I'll come back.' It says a lot about how much he wants to help us, and here he is."

Blackburn, who last pitched for the Mets on June 28, began a rehab assignment in mid-July and logged four outings in Triple-A. The 31-year-old was unreliable prior to his injury, though, as he produced a bloated 7.71 ERA and 1.98 WHIP across 18.2 innings (four starts, two relief outings).

In a corresponding move, the Mets optioned reliever Justin Hagenman, who delivered four clutch scoreless innings in Tuesday's beatdown of the Braves.

Vientos remains on bench

Mark Vientos has played just once over the last week, and his absence in the lineup hasn't been due to injury.

Mendoza said the slugging infielder -- who's hitting just .230 with a .277 on-base percentage this season -- is simply lower on the pecking order right now.

"It's where we're at. We've got four guys who are playing well," Mendoza said. "Only nine can play. So, it's a rotation spot. That's where we're at. But he's fine."