Mets Shake Up Lineup, Benge Leads Off

0:00It's April 17, I'm Cory with the story. This is MLB News Today, driven by AI and built for baseball fans. The mints are shaking up their lineup big time to spark their sleepy offense ahead of Friday's clash with the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Rookie Outfielder Carson Benj gets the lead-off spot for the first time after batting no higher than 6th in a 16-big league start so far. Their star shortstop Francisco Lindor, who's led off every game this season, slides down to 3rd. The teams mired in an 8-game losing streak, slashing a brutal 175 over 2-13, over 257 at the plate. They mustered just 12 runs during that rough stretch, looking lost on offense. Lindor has been ice cold too, sitting at 184 with a 576 OPS through 19 games, though he finally notched his first homer, an RBI Tuesday against the Dodgers. Benj hasn't lit it up either, hitting 151 with a 463 OPS in 59 plate appearances.

1:02Manager Carlos Mendoza's betting on his top prospect Benj to ignite things from the top against Cubs' right-hander Edward Cabrera. This lineup tweak could be the jolt the Mets need to break their funk and give back in the wind column at Wrigley.