The New York Mets have already seen Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas go down with injuries in spring training and now Starling Marte is dealing with an injury as well.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told the media on Wednesday that Marte is dealing with knee soreness. The hope is he can start live batting practice in March, but he will be in backfields as he is a ways away from game action.
“Some good days, some not so good,” Mendoza said of Marte’s knee, via the New York Post. “Still finding that balance (of) when is too much, when we need to pull back. But he hasn’t stopped doing any baseball activity at all. It’s more the running progression, so he’s still going through that.”
As the New York Post’s reporter Jared Schwartz noted, the “concerning part” of Marte’s injury is the fact he dealt with knee soreness last summer which forced him to miss nearly two months. Although the injury has lingered, Mendoza is confident Marte will be able to thrive this season, even if he is expected to play in a minimal role.
“We feel pretty confident in that,” Mendoza said. “What I’m getting from the trainers, what they’re getting from the doctors and from Marte, he’s not worried about it. I check with him every day. We feel pretty good that he’s going to be an impact player for us.”
Marte is in the final year of his four-year, $78 million deal with the Mets. He’s set to be owed $20.75 million this season.
Marte is a two-time All-Star and will be a utility player for New York this season. In 2024, he hit .269 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs.
New York will open its 2025 season on the road against the Houston Astros on March 27.
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