Mets' top prospect on Triple-A HR heater (3 straight games) since arrival
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The Mets made a bevy of moves at this year’s Trade Deadline, revamping their farm system in a short window of time. The 11 prospects they acquired were the most of any club, but one deal in particular has stood out:
In dealing right-hander Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor to the Cubs on Aug. 3, they got back just one player: Jefferson Rojas, who immediately slotted in as the club’s No. 1 prospect.
Since his arrival, Rojas has done nothing but prove himself worthy of the top spot. The 21-year-old was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday and responded by socking a home run in each of his first three games with the club, including Thursday’s 9-8 win over Lehigh Valley at NBT Bank Stadium.
Rojas has been on a tear since moving from one upstate New York locale to another, going 7-for-12 (.583) with three homers and seven RBIs in his first three contests. He mauled nine roundtrippers in 29 games for Double-A Binghamton, where he posted a .929 OPS and collected 70 total bases prior to his promotion, the second-most in the Eastern League during his tenure.
An added benefit of the 21-year-old getting at-bats at the Minors’ highest level is that he's facing a surplus of arms with Major League experience under their belts. All three Syracuse homers have come off of hurlers (Brian Keller, Alan Ranger, Tucker Davidson) who have appeared in The Show. And he’s done so while hitting in front of Ronny Mauricio and MJ Melendez in the lineup, both of whom have their own big league track records.
Another benefit of Rojas’ arrival at Triple-A is the Statcast data that comes along with it. MLB’s No. 75 prospect has put eight balls in play north of 100 mph in his first three games, with all four of Thursday's registering as hard-hit (in excess of 95+ mph).
In every meaningful way, 2026 has been an enormous breakout campaign for Rojas. The Cubs consistently challenged the Dominican Republic native early in his career, as he was the youngest player in the Single-A Carolina League in 2023, the second-youngest qualifier in the High-A Midwest League the following season and the second-youngest regular in the Double-A Southern League last year. That older competition suppressed statistical production, but it’s emerged in abundance this season.
Rojas has socked a career-high 27 homers and compiled 93 RBIs across stints with three different clubs. He’s one of just 16 Minor Leaguers to compile at least 55 extra-base hits and 20 steals this year, and is the only member of the Mets' farm system to deliver a 25-homer, 20-steal campaign, last achieved by Mauricio in 2022.
After coming up as a shortstop with Chicago, Rojas began to see increased reps at third base at the start of the year. As a prospect gets closer to the Majors, his organization begins doing the defensive math -- where can he help and how soon? After making at least six starts apiece at shortstop, third base and second for Binghamton, Rojas has made two of his first three Triple-A starts at the hot corner.