The Daily Briefing — Tuesday, March 17
By Morgan Davis · Tue Mar 17 2026
Most of the attention on Monday was rightfully focused on the WBC semifinals and Venezuela's historic advancement. But in Jupiter, Florida, Carson Benge continued building his case for inclusion on the Mets' Opening Day roster with another quality at-bat performance against Washington. The 23-year-old outfielder has been one of spring training's most consistent hitters, and Monday's 2-for-2 showing with two walks extended his on-base streak to 11 games. What stands out isn't just the production but the approach. Benge worked deep counts in all four plate appearances, fouling off tough pitches and forcing Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore into 23 pitches across two at-bats. Manager Carlos Mendoza has been vocal about wanting to see prospects handle adversity, and Monday's game provided that test when the Mets trailed 8-1 after five innings. Rather than going through the motions, Benge continued grinding out at-bats and scored the team's second run on a wild pitch after drawing a sixth-inning walk. The roster math remains complicated for New York, but performances like this make it harder to send Benge to Triple-A to start the season. Looking Ahead The World Baseball Classic final between Venezuela and Team USA is set for Tuesday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on FOX, with Daniel Palencia likely available for high-leverage work again after throwing just 11 pitches in Monday's save. For Venezuela, reaching this stage represents the culmination of years of baseball development and international investment. On the spring training front, position battles are intensifying as teams prepare for the final two weeks before Opening Day. Players like Carson Benge are running out of time to make impressions, while established prospects are trying to show they belong at the major league level from Day 1.