rewrite this title Mets infielder Luisangel Acuña hits four home runs in winter league game

Luisangel Acuña nearly matched his entire career stat line in a single game.

The speedy Mets infielder — who did not go deep once during the 2025 season — crushed four home runs and drove in seven runs for the Cardenales de Lara in a Venezuelan Professional Baseball League contest Saturday.

The 23-year-old, who started the game in center field, launched his first homer in the second inning — a three-run shot that drove in a pair of former Mets: catcher Ali Sánchez and outfielder Rafael Ortega.

His next blast came in the sixth, a solo shot off former Dodgers pitcher Darien Núñez that pushed the Cardenales’ lead to 16–7.

Acuña added another solo homer in the seventh before capping the night with a two-run shot in the ninth — this one coming off a position player — as Lara coasted to a 21–9 win in front of 4,728 fans at Estadio Nueva Esparta.

All told, Acuña finished 4-for-6 with four homers, seven RBIs and a walk, becoming the first player in Venezuelan winter league history to hit four home runs in a single game.

After struggling at the plate for much of his brief MLB career, Acuña’s home run derby-esque performance in Venezuela was reminiscent of his older brother, former NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.

Acquired from the Rangers in the Max Scherzer deal at the 2023 trade deadline, Acuña entered 2024 ranked by MLB.com as the Mets’ third-best prospect.

The Mets promoted Acuña to the majors on Sept. 14, 2024, and he impressed in 14 games, slashing .308/.325/.641 with three homers and six RBIs.

He carried that momentum into the start of 2025, hitting .288/.342/.356 with seven stolen bases and 13 runs scored through the end of April, earning NL Rookie of the Month honors.

But Acuña fell into a deep slump in May and June and was demoted to Triple-A.

The versatile infielder — who played at second base, third base, shortstop and center field — was recalled July 10 and spent the rest of the season shuttling between the minors and majors, frequently entering games as a pinch runner and defensive replacement.

In 95 games during the 2025 season, Acuña slashed .234/.293/.274 with no home runs and eight RBIs.

Acuña is out of minor-league options entering 2026, meaning the Mets would risk losing him on waivers if they try to send him down.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns praised Acuña’s skill set in November, insisting he doesn’t need to be an elite hitter to provide value.

“Acuña is such a unique player because the floor is so high of what he can provide,” Stearns told reporters at the GM Meetings. “He’s such a good defender, a gifted defender at multiple positions, and an elite baserunner. So the offensive contribution doesn’t need to be elite for him to solidify an everyday role on a major league team.

“I still have very high hopes for him. We need to see a little bit more offensive contribution than we’ve probably seen previously, but he is a very, very good defensive player and there’s a real role for that on a good team.”