Mets' Michael Conforto showing signs he's breaking out of season-long slump

This has to be it. This has to be the beginning of the hot streak that salvages Michael Conforto’s season and his impending free agency.

And perhaps the Mets’ playoff chances.

If the Mets are able to make up what was, going into Wednesday, a 5½-game deficit in the NL East, one of the key components over the final 30 games will be Conforto’s bat, which suddenly came to life in the ninth inning in the first game of a quasi-doubleheader on Tuesday at Citi Field.

An inning earlier, Conforto had fouled out with runners in scoring position and was so angry that he uncharacteristically slammed his bat and helmet against the bat rack.

But fate gave Conforto another chance with the Mets — who trailed Miami 5-1 entering the ninth — down by a run with two outs. He singled to left to bring home the tying run. The winning run came in when Marlins leftfielder Jorge Alfaro booted the ball for a game-ending error, allowing Javier Baez to score.

Conforto slugged a two-run home run in the Mets’ 3-1 victory in the nightcap. In that seven-inning game, he went 1-for-1 with two walks. For the season — his last before he hits the free-agent market — Conforto is batting .217 with 10 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .708 OPS, well below his career mark of .826.

But maybe Tuesday’s double scoop of success is what Conforto needs to end his season on a sweet note.

"The quality at-bats were a lot more in August," manager Luis Rojas said. "We saw him laying off a lot more pitches and taking better swings. He’s really close to being that guy. If he shows up in September like he did today for us, I think that’s going to improve our offense."

On Tuesday night, the Mets preemptively rained out Wednesday’s game. They will return to face the Marlins on Thursday as part of a 13-game stretch in which they play only Miami and Washington.

For Conforto, who reached the World Series as a rookie in 2015, it’s hard to fathom how the Mets haven’t been back to that lofty perch. Conforto has been booed at times this season at home, but he didn’t react as Baez, Francisco Lindor and others did in the "thumbs-down" incident that those two players apologized for on Tuesday (and then the team rendered moot with two wins).

"I came up in ’15 and we were kind of on a hot streak," Conforto said. "Everything seemed like sunshine and roses, and you kind of take that for granted sometimes. It’s really tough to win here. It’s really tough to win, period, in Major League Baseball. I didn’t experience the toughness of this city until 2016. I had a tough time, and we’ve had some tough years. There’s obviously a difference in the way the fans react, but they’re passionate. And we have a very passionate team, particularly this year. So I think maybe that’s why the past couple of days happened."

Conforto, 28, came into the season knowing a good one would help him earn a big contract, whether it was with the club that drafted him in 2014 or a new one. Now, it’s possible he will seek a one-year "pillow" contract to allow him to repair his value, as Scott Boras clients sometimes do after an off year.

But Conforto is not thinking about his next contract. He’s thinking about his next at-bat.

"I feel like I’m less focused on a sustained stretch of being hot, and more on being ready to hit every single pitch," Conforto said. "That seems to allow my natural ability to come out. At this point I’m just trying to do what I can to help the team win. That’s what we need right now."

Mets call up pair. The Mets called up outfielders Albert Almora Jr. and Khalil Lee from Triple-A Syracuse as rosters expanded to 28 on Wednesday.

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.