On another power binge, Mets' No. 3 prospect Clifford could be eyed as solution at first

When it rains, it pours in the home run department for Ryan Clifford.

The Mets' No. 3 prospect tagged his third homer in the past four games for Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday. The left-handed hitter -- who went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored -- helped power an 11-6 victory over Rochester at ESL Ballpark.

• Get tickets to a Minor League game near you »

Clifford put his 60-grade power on display in the top of the fifth inning against righty Andry Lara. The first baseman connected on a 416-foot homer to right-center field, and the ball left Clifford’s bat at 110.7 mph.

The long ball was the 22-year-old's 13th of the season. Clifford -- acquired by New York in the Justin Verlander deal three seasons ago -- has collected five roundtrippers in his past eight Triple-A games while posting an .842 OPS in May.

While primarily hitting in the middle of the order for Syracuse, Clifford earned his seventh career Prospect Team of the Week nod on May's penultimate ballot. He compiled a slash line of .316/.417/.895 with three homers, two doubles and eight RBIs across six games to fill the first baseman slot on that team.

The Mets lost slugger Pete Alonso to free agency this past offseason and have been running Mark Vientos and Jared Young out at first base this year. But the platoon hasn't replaced the home run output lost in Alonso, and Clifford could fit the billing as a future option given his current surge.