David Stearns, Carlos Mendoza explain why Mets called up outfield prospect A.J. Ewing

Outfielder A.J. Ewing began the 2026 season with Double-A Binghamton. After 18 games there, he moved up to Triple-A Syracuse, and now, with just 12 Triple-A games under his belt, Ewing is making his big league debut, starting in center field for the Mets on Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers.

Ewing’s rise to the majors has been meteoric, but Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns explained that the club would not have called him up if they didn’t believe he was ready, whether or not the team had holes they needed to fill.

“The combination of, first and foremost, the performance. He’s a pretty well-rounded player right now,” Stearns said. “There aren’t a ton of holes in his game. We think he can contribute to the team on a variety of different levels. And then there is this ability to handle different situations. He's a pretty mature kid for a young player. He’s demonstrated that throughout his time in our system.

“That doesn’t mean this is going to go flawlessly for him. That would be an unfair expectation, but we do think he can handle it.”

Ewing, just 21 years old, was tearing it up in the minors this season, slashing .339/.447/514 with two home runs, 11 RBI, 17 steals, and 25 runs scored across both levels.

“Obviously, he can help you win baseball games in a lot of different ways,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “Defensively, base-running, offensively, it’s a simple swing, simple approach, short to the baseball, uses the whole field, and the makeup of the player. Even though he’s only 21, he’s pretty mature and he’s super consistent.”

Mendoza and the rest of the Mets coaching staff had a chance to see Ewing perform up close and in person during spring training, when the outfielder appeared in 10 Grapefruit League games and hit .381 with a 1.090 OPS.

And the coaches weren’t the only ones impressed by what the former fourth-round pick can do.

“There was a lot to like from the very beginning of spring training, watching him play and go about his business,” Mendoza said. “The energy, the passion, the smile, and then the tools, the skillset that he brings. It was eye-opening, to be honest with you. I had some of our established players playing in that game come up to me and go ‘Who is this guy? Where’s he going to be at?’”