{"id":343417,"date":"2026-09-11T00:58:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/343417\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T00:58:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:58:48","slug":"why-im-buying-the-early-mets-hype-around-jefferson-rojas-and-his-future-in-queens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/343417\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I&#8217;m Buying the Early Mets Hype Around Jefferson Rojas (And His Future in Queens)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"98\">Following an abysmal first half of the 2026 season, the New York Mets had no choice but to become sellers at the trade deadline. They also had to make sure they came out the other side with a top-100 prospect, a mission they accomplished by getting back Jefferson Rojas in a deal.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9d\">The Mets gave up significant prospect capital for Freddy Peralta alone last offseason, and after that trade didn&#8217;t work out, trying to claw back some of that price at the deadline became the major priority. Well, the front office did incredibly well in getting Rojas back as the centerpiece of the trade that sent Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to the Chicago Cubs. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9i\">Rojas immediately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/mets\/onsi\/breaking-down-mets-newest-prospect-what-jefferson-rojas-future-looks-like-after-trade-deadline-01kz4qxgc8f2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">slotted in as the Mets&#8217; new No. 1 prospect<\/a>, and he has lived up to that lofty status by lighting it up for Double-A Binghamton. And in doing so, he&#8217;s showing that not only is all the buzz real, but he could be ready to contribute at the major league level soon. <\/p>\n<p>Why I&#8217;m buying all the future stock in Jefferson Rojas and his role with the Mets<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9s\">Rojas has been playing at an incredibly high level since he got to Binghamton. The infielder is hitting .283\/.341\/.602 with nine home runs, seven doubles, a triple, 23 runs scored, 29 RBIs, and a .943 OPS in 130 plate appearances over 28 games. That is pretty impressive. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9x\">Furthermore, Rojas has already recorded over 20 homers, 20 doubles, and 20 stolen bases this year. He also recently put together his first four-hit game at the Double-A level, showing that he&#8217;s finishing this season with a flourish. Plus, with Double-A Binghamton finishing their season this coming weekend, Rojas is clearly ready to go and finish the year with Triple-A Syracuse. <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jefferson Rojas had four hits including a MASSIVE home run! \ud83d\ude24 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/863Kbvdcuu\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/863Kbvdcuu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MetsPlayerDev\/status\/2096991129841381832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"a7\">There is a heck of a lot to like about Rojas&#8217; game. He has a lot of speed, as evidenced by the fact that he&#8217;s now stolen at least 17 bases in three consecutive seasons. He can also put the ball in play and get on base at a high clip. If that wasn&#8217;t enough, the infielder has really unlocked his power this year. He entered the season having never hit more than 11 home runs in a single campaign, but he&#8217;s mashed 24 this year, including nine for Double-A Binghamton. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ac\">The newfound power raises Rojas&#8217; ceiling even higher, and he&#8217;s morphing into a multi-tool player who can impact winning in a number of different ways. If he can earn a call-up to Triple-A for the rest of the year and have a strong showing there, then that could have positive ramifications for the Mets heading into spring training. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ah\">It is no secret that the infield needs a lot of work. While Francisco Lindor is a lock at shortstop, Rojas could eventually take over that position. However, for now, there could be an ideal opportunity for Rojas throughout spring training. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/mets\/onsi\/marcus-semien-s-regression-might-force-mets-hand-what-could-happen-next-01m1y4j6b90y\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Marcus Semien continues to regress<\/a> both offensively and defensively, and his job at second base shouldn&#8217;t be guaranteed heading into 2027. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/mets\/onsi\/brett-baty-running-out-time-prove-worth-mets-01m1pz2syz7q\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brett Baty&#8217;s future also uncertain<\/a>, the door is open for Rojas. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"am\">With speed, an ability to hit for contact and for power, and solid defense, Rojas could emerge as the answer at second base for the Mets. He could even enter into a job share with Semien, and also spell Lindor at short here and there. And if Semien continues to struggle, Rojas could make the second base job his own if he shows he can make the leap to the big leagues.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ar\">Of course, there is no need to rush Rojas, and if there is a lockout in 2027, it is important that he continues his development at Triple-A Syracuse. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"aw\">However, Rojas clearly has a lot of talent and a high ceiling, and given his current trajectory, he could be ready to contribute for the Mets right out of spring training. He&#8217;s certainly going to be the most interesting name to watch throughout spring training, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/mets\/onsi\/examining-the-hype-around-mets-prospect-mitch-voit-and-why-you-should-buy-it-01kzmn2ve479\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mitch Voit, who will also hope to become a big part of the infield<\/a> in the near future. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"b1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/mets\/onsi\/newsletter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Get Mets On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/yankees\/onsi\/newsletter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" preventdefault:click=\"\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\" on:pointerenter=\"q-BpOLQORF.js#s_1NOcOpHWmT0\" on:touchstart=\"q-C02KUlcx.js#s_R8AiGTDeM28\" on:focus=\"q-4HuWJVLT.js#s_gxiTM6qMMu8\" on:click=\"q-gAC8BGLP.js#s_lDqay9E5m5g[0]\" q:id=\"b7\">Follow<\/a><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Following an abysmal first half of the 2026 season, the New York Mets had no choice but to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343418,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-343417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}