The New York Mets are batting Francisco Lindor leadoff and Bo Bichette second in Friday night's lineup to take on the A's.
It's in the 3-spot where things get really weird, really quickly: Jared Young.
Wait, what?
The lineup then goes Luis Robert Jr., Brett Baty, Marcus Semien, Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Alvarez, Carson Benge.
OK, that's all fine.
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But Jared Young in the No. 3 spot in the lineup? Old-school thinking, new-age thinking, doesn't matter -- this is absolutely wild.
have never gasped out loud seeing a lineup card before https://t.co/WDbSixKVG9
— casey at the bat (@thebenchesclear) April 10, 2026Why is Jared Young batting 3rd for Mets?
Short answer: We don't know.
When Juan Soto got hurt, it created an opening in the top-three spots, but normally you'd move a regular starter up there.
The Mets have instead moved a 30-year old journeyman with a .218 career average there.
Young is 5-for-14 on the young season (.357), but could that really be the thinking?
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There isn't a ton of reason not to move someone up from lower down in the order -- or to leave Bichette third and get some kind of speedy player up in the top-third to at least match old-school thinking.
Nope, it's Young, who has 119 career MLB at bats with six home runs. He's 30 years old, a former 15th-round pick, a guy no one would've pegged at this point in his career as an MLB 3-hitter.
There he is, though. The Mets never cease to amaze.

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