SAN FRANCISCO — Marcus Semien’s struggles over his first week in a Mets uniform have been emblematic of the team’s overall offensive woes.
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The new Mets second baseman carried an 0-for-18 slump into Thursday night’s game, futility that followed hits in his first two at-bats of the season.
“It’s taking some time so far, but definitely no panic in me,” Semien said before the Mets faced the Giants.
Semien, who previously had switched teams multiple times before this offseason — he arrived in a November trade with Texas for Brandon Nimmo — downplayed the notion of needing time to adjust to the change in scenery.
But the Mets entered play needing contributions from him and others, as they looked to emerge from a pronounced drought that included going 1-for-29 with runners in scoring position in losing two of three games to the Cardinals to begin this road trip.
Semien, who entered play batting only .100, joined Bo Bichette (.111), Francisco Lindor (.143) and Carson Benge (.158) among the Mets most in need of hits.
Marcus Semien reacts after striking out swinging during the fourth inning of the Mets’ loss to the Pirates at Citi Field on March 29, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST The 35-year-old Semien noted that only six games into the season, one big performance would significantly improve his numbers. Such a slump in the middle of the season would not receive as much attention.
But Semien had struck out eight times in those 18 at-bats without a hit entering play, underscoring his struggles. And his two hits were hardly walloped: one was on a ball lost in the sun at Citi Field and the other was essentially a swinging bunt.
The slow start follows an underwhelming season offensively for the Gold Glove second baseman. Last year he posted a .230/.305/.364 slash line with 15 homers and 62 RBIs in 127 games.
“I feel like [pitchers] are attacking him, they are getting ahead and then they are making him chase,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But I feel good with him at the plate. It’s just [six games]. I am not worried about him.”
Marcus Semien hits a sacrifice fly, driving in Luis Robert Jr. (not pictured), in the second inning of the Mets’ loss to the Pirates at Citi Field on March 29, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Though Lindor’s hits have been few, he’s been reaching base at a proficient clip. Juan Soto has also picked up where last season ended in terms of reaching base.
“The top of our order, there’s always action, there’s always opportunities to knock runners in,” Semien said. “That is all you can really ask for as an offense is to have opportunities to drive runners in. I know the power is going to come for this group, too. Three-run homers are great, we saw that when we had our walk-off game.”
He was referring to last Saturday’s 11-inning victory against the Pirates that was punctuated by Luis Robert Jr.’s walk-off blast. But the Mets had homered only once in the four games before Thursday night. Soto delivered that homer to account for their only run in their 2-1 loss to the Cardinals in 11 innings on Wednesday.
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The offensive troubles have overshadowed the team’s strong pitching and respectable defense, playing into the theme of run prevention that president of baseball operations David Stearns preached for most of the offseason.
Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga and Freddy Peralta gave the Mets strong starts in the three games in St. Louis. And the defensive miscues have been limited. The most glaring might have been Lindor’s brain cramp Wednesday, when he forgot the number of outs and began running off the field after fielding a grounder and stepping on second base. It was only the second out, and Lindor could have turned a double play. The Cardinals still went scoreless in the inning.
“Defensively, everybody’s worked extremely hard to be the best we can be for our great pitching staff,” Semien said. “We’re a complete team. Once we have a big breakout game, everybody is going to get the confidence.”
