AJ Ewing Shines Against Lefties in Mets’ Win

ATLANTA — AJ Ewing seems unfazed by left-handed pitching.

In a recent game against the Braves, he went 2-for-4, including a home run and a single, both off left-handed pitchers. This marks the second time this season that Ewing has secured multiple hits against a lefty in one outing.

The rookie’s home run came in the third inning off Martin Perez’s sinker, sailing over the center field fence. It was, interestingly, the first time he didn’t hit a fly ball in his career, bringing his total home runs to five.

“I think I’ve always been comfortable against lefties,” he shared.

Both Ewing and fellow rookie Carson Benge are proving to be bright spots in what’s been a disappointing season for the Mets. Ewing, at just 21, boosted his OPS to .756 with this latest performance.

“I think we’ve always believed he could hit as a left-handed hitter. It’s great to finally see him doing that,” interim manager Andy Green commented.

Meanwhile, Francisco Lindor is likely to be designated hitter or take a break on Monday as the team carefully monitors his workload following a calf injury.

“Hopefully, he’ll be at DH because we really value his bat in the lineup,” said Green. “We just want to ensure we’re cautious with how often he plays. He was effective at shortstop, especially because he got on base several times on Saturday.”

In other news, manager Green mentioned that Kodai Chiga is expected to pitch in Tuesday’s season opener against the Royals at Citi Field. Chiga had pitched 2/3 of an inning in Friday’s game, giving up one earned run. Previously, he allowed two earned runs in five innings against the Phillies after being removed from the starting rotation.

On an impressive note, Juan Soto has reached base in 18 out of 21 games since June 11, ranking second in MLB with a .500 on-base percentage during that stretch. He also stands third in OPS (1.171) and fifth in batting average (.371), leading the National League with a .966 OPS overall.