New York Mets outfielder A.J. Ewing remains optimistic about his season despite a recent dip in performance during August. Ewing, 21, who has become an everyday player and the team's leadoff hitter, acknowledged his current offensive struggles but expressed unwavering confidence in his ability to rebound.
"I am not enthusiastic with how the results have been recently, but I am more than uberconfident that I am going to turn it around and I am going to finish the year how I am going to finish," Ewing said. He entered Saturday with a .535 OPS for August, including a .188 batting average over his last 48 at-bats. Despite this slump, his overall season statistics stood at a .255/.326/.386 slash line with seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 82 games.
Ewing dismissed the idea that the grind of his first major league season is taking a toll on him physically. "No, my body feels good, I feel good," he stated. "I would just say it’s part of the game and it’s stuff that you want to avoid as much as possible, but it’s just getting out of these little blips that is important."
Interim manager Andy Green indicated that the team is not planning to provide extra rest for Ewing or fellow rookie Carson Benge, who have both played frequently due to injuries, including Juan Soto on the injured list. "Ultimately they are going to end up with more at-bats than they have had in their career, and that is healthy for them, it is good for them," Green said. He added that decisions on rest will be made based on performance and the players' needs.
Green noted that Ewing has been hitting the ball hard recently, even if the results haven't reflected it. "He smoked the ball, hit it really well [Friday]," Green said. "That was one of those days he could be 2-for-4 with a single and a double off the wall and you end up 0-for-4 and that is a frustrating day."
Ewing cited positive reinforcement from the team's hitting coaches as helpful. Their message, he explained, is to "Be really direct to the baseball, which is what I’m doing well when I’m doing good and just grinding through that and repeating that as much as possible."
While his offense has faltered, Ewing's defense has shown improvement. He has shifted to left field to accommodate Luis Robert Jr. in center. "I feel like that is the one thing that has taken a big jump for me this year compared to last year and the year before," Ewing said of his defense. "I feel like I am getting better reads off the bat than I have in the past. I feel like I am finishing the plays that I wasn’t finishing last year."
Ewing expressed pride in his overall season performance but maintained a high standard for himself. "If you had told me last year that I would be doing what I am doing now, I would probably be happy with it, but expectations change," he said. "Now that I am here, I feel that I can perform at a really high level and I want to do that to the best of my ability."