After taking a few weeks off, the injury bug returned to the New York Mets locker room. Over the past few days, the blue and orange have lost Sean Reid-Foley to right shoulder impingement and Grant Hartwig to knee surgery. The Mets will now be without their all-star outfielder for at least two weeks.
Starling Marte has been placed on the 10-day injured list
According to a post from the organization of X, the Mets have placed Starling Marte on the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 23 with a right knee bone bruise.
Marte’s knee had been causing him issues for the past couple of weeks, forcing the blue and orange to scratch him from the lineup and rest him sometimes. During Saturday’s 8-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs, the Dominican Republic native was forced to leave the game early due to a knee problem, which led the Mets to send him back to New York to undergo testing.
“It’s one of those things where one day it’s better and other days not so much, but it’s something we’ve been battling with, and today was just one of those days where it just hurt more than most days,” Marte said through an interpreter on Saturday.
Mets’ Starling Marte to undergo testing after leaving Saturday’s game with knee soreness (sny.tv)
The 35-year-old has been instructed to be shut down for at least 15 days and to rest, which will hopefully do the trick and heal the nagging injury.
Marte’s health has been a question mark over the past two seasons. The Dominican Republic native only played in 86 games last season after recovering from double groin surgery in the offseason.
Despite defensive struggles, Marte has returned to form offensively in 2024, slashing .278/.328/.416 across 66 games with seven home runs and 30 RBIs.
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Who is taking Marte’s spot on the Mets’ roster?
Taking Marte’s spot on the roster is veteran outfielder Ben Gamel. The 32-year-old has played in 685 games across eight seasons in the major leagues and has been hitting the cover off the ball in Triple-A Syracuse.
Gamel has slashed .314/.423/.539 across 45 games with seven home runs and 24 RBIs. In addition, Tyrone Taylor and DJ Stewart may also get some more playing time.