Jefferson Rojas turns a trade into power, launches 17th homer for Mets’ Double-A affiliate

Jefferson Rojas is proving that a change of scenery does not have to disrupt production. The Mets’ top prospect, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 76 prospect overall, hit his 17th home run and helped deliver a 4-3 win on Tuesday at the Double-A level.

Rojas’ homer was his second since the trade that sent him from the Cubs to the Mets in exchange for Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor. The timing matters because it suggests his swing change, approach, or simply the comfort of a new opportunity has not come with a settling-in period.

This latest round of power underscores the role teams are looking for in the minors from players they view as cornerstones. Rojas is now being treated as a meaningful piece of the Mets’ long-term player development plan, not just a short-term acquisition, and his continued ability to impact games with extra-base hits supports that evaluation.

The 17th homer is also the kind of milestone that scouts notice across an entire season. Even without expanding into more granular splits, the fact that Rojas has multiple home runs since the trade suggests he is not merely benefiting from a single moment or location. It is production that has continued to show up after the deal.

For the Mets, there is an added layer of significance because the trade he arrived from was completed with clearly defined value. Holmes and Taylor were established parts of the Cubs’ roster-building approach, and moving Rojas for that return placed a premium on whether the Mets could translate their investment into forward progress. His latest blast helps the Mets’ internal narrative that the return can pay dividends in the form of major-league-ready talent down the road.

For the Cubs, the deal carries its own question, one that will be answered over time as their acquired players develop their own trajectory. While Rojas’ current performance does not retroactively change the rationale of the transaction, it does provide a measuring stick for how quickly a player of his profile can create impact once he lands in a new system.

What to watch next is whether the Mets can keep Rojas’ momentum moving deeper into the season and whether the power surge continues to translate into consistent offensive production around his home runs. More broadly, the organization will also be watching how the package of skill sets he brings evolves as he faces increasingly advanced pitching, since prospects are judged not only by ceiling but by repeatability.

If Rojas can sustain this level of output after a midstream transition, the 17th-homer marker will look less like a highlight and more like evidence. For a team shaping its future, that is the difference between a prospect who flashes and one who develops into a reliable impact bat.