The Mets defeated the Yankees by a score of 6-4 in Grapefruit League action on Sunday.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- The Mets have said that top prospect Carson Benge is going to get a legitimate shot to win the starting right field job, and they backed that up by having Benge lead off and play right on Sunday.
In his first at-bat against Luis Gil, Benge was sawed off and hit a jam-shot pop-up to shortstop. In his second AB, Benge hit a grounder to first and nearly ran it out for a hit, but was out by half a step or so.
Benge's toughest at-bat came in the top of the fifth, facing veteran lefty Tim Hill. After falling behind 0-2, Benge laid off a ball and fouled another pitch off before grounding into a 6-3 double play. He was replaced defensively in the bottom of the fifth inning.
-- The first Mets home run of 2026 spring training came off the bat of Jared Young in the second inning, when he clobbered a high fastball for a solo homer.
Young played in 23 games for the Mets last season and hit four home runs. He’ll likely start the season in Triple-A, but could be a left-handed hitting option off the bench.
-- The Mets flashed some more pop in the top of the fourth, when Luis Torrens lifted a solo home run to right-center. Barring anything unexpected, Torrens will be the Mets' backup catcher behind Francisco Alvarez come Opening Day.
Not to be outdone, fellow catcher Hayden Senger joined the power party in the top of the sixth, hitting a solo shot to right-center. Senger has major league experience and could be in the mix for the backup catching job.
-- And for good measure, and for further proof that the wind was blowing out to right, JT Schwartz lifted one up into the jet stream in the top of the eighth, and it carried well out of the ballpark for a three-run shot.
-- Righty Justin Hagenman started for the Mets, going 2.1 innings while allowing one earned run on two hits. He walked three and struck out three, and figures to be in the mix if the Mets need a spot start during the season.
YANKEES
-- Gil went 2.2 innings for the Yankees, throwing 48 pitches. He allowed a pair of hits, including the solo homer, but he struck out four and didn't walk a batter. His fastball sat around 96 MPH, and 33 of his 48 pitches were strikes.
-- Shortstop is an area of focus for the Yankees, considering Anthony Volpe will miss the beginning of the season and is no sure bet to start once he returns, and Jose Caballero made an impact on Sunday, smacking a solo home run on a hanging Hagenman breaking ball in the third inning. Caballero will likely be the Opening Day starter at short for the Yanks.
-- Coming off a two-homer game in his spring debut, Aaron Judge went 0-1 with a groundout to third, but he did reach base twice via walks. Cody Bellinger had a pair of base hits, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached base twice with a single and a walk.
-- Outfielder Kenedy Corona drew the Yankees closer with a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning. Corona spent the entire 2025 season in Triple-A in the Houston Astros system before the Yankees signed him to a minor league deal.
Highlights
Jared Young hits the Mets' first home run of the spring 💣 pic.twitter.com/jcWwuMZx2r
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 22, 2026
Torrens leaves the yard! 💪 pic.twitter.com/p5DvEWf5Hb
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 22, 2026
Torrens leaves the yard! 💪 pic.twitter.com/p5DvEWf5Hb
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 22, 2026
J.T. Schwartz breaks it open with a three-run homer! 💥
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 22, 2026
It's the fourth home runs the Mets have hit today pic.twitter.com/pfu1l0Zcn7
A solo shot for José Caballero! 💪 pic.twitter.com/WpVFa6mwC3
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 22, 2026
Kenedy Corona hits a three-run homer to bring the Yankees closer! pic.twitter.com/XfUywfaGV9
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 22, 2026
What's next
The Mets visit the Toronto Blue Jays for a 1:07 p.m. start time on Monday afternoon, while the Yankees visit the Pittsburgh Pirates for a 1:05 p.m. start time.