Despite an injury to superstar Juan Soto, the New York Mets climb to No. 5 in CBS Sports power rankings, boosted by surprising bullpen arms.
The New York Mets are off to a decent start in what is a very pivotal year.
The Mets are 6-4 to start the season, although things took a bit of a hit with superstar outfielder Juan Soto being placed on the 10-day IL on Monday due to a right calf strain.
Matt Snyder of CBS Sports had some new power rankings following the weekend, and he had the Mets moving up three spots to No. 5.
The Mets are one spot behind the Atlanta Braves and one spot ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies, so there are three National League East teams in the top 10, with the Miami Marlins at No. 11.
"What was the outlier for Mark Vientos? His really good 2024 season or his really bad 2025 season? Thus far in 2026, he's hitting .476/.522/.714. I'm intrigued," Snyder wrote.
Free agency additions such as Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette both have gotten off to a poor starts offensively, but Vientos has been a pleasant surprise for New York.
Francisco Lindor is also hitting just .135 through 10 games, and Carson Benge is batting .100 in a tough adjustment in his rookie campaign.
Positives: Mets' new bullpen additions
There are positives despite the offensive stars lacking in many ways.
Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, both of whom signed this offseason after playing for the New York Yankees, are off to hot starts.
Both Weaver and Williams have thrown four shutout innings apiece as of Monday, and Williams has two saves on the season.
Brooks Raley has thrown 3.2 shutout innings of relief, and even Huascar Brazoban has tossed 5.1 scoreless innings.
Negatives: Juan Soto's injury
Soto is on the 10-day IL, but the Mets' initial timeline said he is out for 2-to-3 weeks, so it will be a longer absence than 10 days, most likely.
Jared Young has played well so far, and it is an opportunity for manager Carlos Mendoza to see what he can do.
What's Next For The Mets
The Mets begin a six-game homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Athletics on Tuesday before a tough road trip with series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
Doing this all without Soto is going to be a test for this team, and the hope is that Bichette and Polanco can find their stroke at the plate in order to ignite the offense.