The New York Mets have officially promoted top prospect A.J Ewing. News began to surface as early as May 8 that New York was considering bringing up the highly rated outfielder. The Athletic’s Will Sammon then revealed on Monday that the Mets were planning to finally make the move ahead of Tuesday’s game with the Detroit Tigers. New York announced the massive decision just a few hours before the matchup.
In a corresponding move, Mets utility man Andy Ibanez was designated for assignment to make room for Ewing. Ibanez, 33, was claimed off waivers by New York on April 30 after being DFA’d by the Athletics. In total, the veteran only registered eight plate appearances during a 12-day stint in Queens. Ibanez was hitless in six at-bats, to go along with two sacrifice flies. He filled in at third base and left field with the Mets.
New York was desperately in need of a spark after their disastrous start to the 2026 season. At the moment, the Mets have the worst record in Major League Baseball, and their biggest issue is on offense. The club currently has the worst on-base and slugging percentages in the league. They also rank second-worst in runs per game and batting average.
Struggling New York Mets Promote A.J. Ewing Prematurely
GettyAndy Ibanez only played in three games for the New York Mets.
The dire situation in Queens has essentially forced the New York Mets to promote Ewing ahead of schedule. Although he is the top hitting prospect in the organization, the outfielder is only 21. MLB.com previously predicted his estimated time of arrival to the big leagues would be 2027. Before the 2026 campaign, Ewing had only played in 28 total games above high-A.
Ewing, however, has been red hot throughout the current campaign. After slashing an impressive .349/.481/.571 in 18 games with AA Binghamton, the budding star was promoted to AAA Syracuse. Despite his young age, Ewing managed to handle AAA pitching just as well. In fact, the youngster had 15 hits in just 12 games in AAA before earning a call to Queens.
SNY is reporting that Ewing will wear number nine with New York. The jersey was previously worn by Brandon Nimmo for the last decade before he was traded to the Texas Rangers in the offseason. Former Mets top prospect Gregg Jeffries also donned number nine during the late 80’s and early 90’s.
New York Will Likely be Careful With Ewing
While he may be fairly inexperienced, the New York Mets are clearly high on Ewing. In fact, one team scout recently raved about the speedster during an interview with SNY. “If you’re looking for a spark, like they are, he’s got the game to bring energy,” the anonymous scout told the outlet. “He’s got great speed. He’ll steal a base, he’ll make a diving play. He gets really good jumps in the outfield — he’s a natural in center field.”
Adapting to Major League pitching is difficult, though. Fellow prospect Carson Benge has struggled so far this season with New York despite crushing lower-level arms in the past. Mets management will have to be careful not to put too much pressure on Ewing, and perhaps rely more on his speed. The outfielder has 87 total stolen bases since the start of the 2025 season.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Mets Demote Veteran Slugger in Favor of Top Prospect appeared first on HEAVY.