NEW YORK — For now, the New York Mets have a way of dangling you on the hook.Thursday was an optimistic day for New York. The Mets paired the news of Francisco Lindor’s impending return with a 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets have had no shortage of potential catalyzing victories; they have alternated winning and losing each of their last seven series. They are a .500 team over their last 32 games.Still, if you wanted to be optimistic, you could squint to see promise moving forward — for one day at least.Can you 'Name that Dude'?Derek VanRiper and Eno Sarris“I definitely think we’re on an upswing,” said Sean Manaea, who pitched 5 1/3 innings in the win. “We’re starting to play really good baseball.”If nothing else, the Mets have Juan SotoWith two homers off Aaron Nola on Thursday night, Soto now has more homers against the Philadelphia right-hander than any other pitcher (five). The second of those long balls, hit with a 42-degree launch angle, surprised even Soto when it left the yard.“I thought I missed it,” he said. “I hit it hard but too high. The ballpark helped me.”
When you amaze yourself.
[image or embed]
— Roger Cormier (@themetsnewsletter.com) June 18, 2026 at 6:44 PMSoto now has 17 homers on the season despite playing in just 58 games. The Mets’ record when he starts this season is 31-27 (versus 3-14 when he doesn’t), and the team averages 4.55 runs per game when he’s in the lineup (versus 2.47 without him).“That’s who he is. A special player,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s more than capable of carrying a team.”The lineup has been better and should continue to get betterSoto shouldn’t have to carry the Mets this summer. The best news for New York on Thursday was that Lindor will start a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton on Friday; the shortstop could be back in the majors during next week’s homestand against the Chicago Cubs and Phillies.“He’s one of the best in the game,” said Marcus Semien. “We’ll take one of the best in the game in this lineup.”“I can’t wait for him to be back,” Manaea said.Lindor’s return would push Bo Bichette back to third base and Brett Baty into the super-utility role he played for the first part of the season. That could help Baty, who has just two extra-base hits in the last month.The Mets’ offense has already been better than it was to start the season. Since May 1, New York is scoring that same 4.55 runs per game; the key now is eliminating the boom-or-bust cycles of the offense, which has been an issue since the second half of last season.The bullpen can mitigate the weaknesses of the rotationIf you start thinking too optimistically about the Mets’ chances of a turnaround, the state of the starting rotation is a splash of cold water. While Manaea was decent again Thursday, the Mets still have two unclaimed spots in that rotation. Tobias Myers and Kodai Senga were each rocked in Cincinnati to start this week.One possible way to help overcome the weakness of that rotation is leaning even harder into a bullpen that is a legitimate weapon.New York’s bullpen threw 3 2/3 innings behind Manaea on Thursday, allowing only a ninth-inning run. For the season, the Mets have the fourth-best bullpen ERA in baseball — especially impressive given how many more innings that pen has thrown than the three teams ahead of them. (Only three other teams have thrown more bullpen innings this season, and all of them have an ERA at least a run higher than the Mets’ relief corps.)Luke Weaver hasn’t allowed a run since April. A.J. Minter hasn’t allowed an earned run since April 2025. (OK, OK, Minter hasn’t allowed a run in his nine outings back this season.) Huascar Brazobán lowered his ERA on the season to 1.91. Devin Williams allowed runs in four straight appearances back in April; he’s given up runs in only three of 18 appearances since, including Thursday.“They’ve been incredible this season,” said Manaea.There are limits to how much the Mets can lean on that pen, but they don’t have the luxury of being cautious with it right now.“They continue to get the job done. We’re going to continue to rely on those guys,” Mendoza said. “They’re working together. They’re a good unit there.”Jun 19, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
