A somewhat concerning injury update was provided on New York Mets All-Star Starling Marte late last night.
Opening Day availability for Mets’ Starling Marte will be determined in early February:
Marte, who underwent core surgery in November, will not be playing in the World Baseball Classic. The Mets have still not figured out whether Marte will be a full go for the start of Spring Training or a rehabbing player. Andy Martino of SNY shared that Marte’s Opening Day status will be decided in early February.
On Mets Hot Stove last night, Martino stated the following on Marte.
“It has not yet been determined which of those tracks Marte is gonna be on (full participant or rehab), but it should be determined early next month. It’s likely that Marte is gonna spend some time with the Mets’ medical staff and the training staff and figure out where he’s at coming back from that core surgery.”
Certainly, some rather worrisome news for Mets fans as the report date for pitchers and catchers at Port St. Lucie is now less than three weeks away. Marte was simply one consistent bat for a Mets lineup that had its moments in 2022.
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Now going into his 12th year in the MLB, Marte will play the upcoming season at 34 years old. Despite the injury and age concerns, Marte can still be relied on as one of the Mets’ best contact hitters. He has a career batting average of .289 and is coming off a year in which he gave the Mets a stellar .292 with a .814 OPS. Marte also hit 16 home runs and had 63 RBIs despite only playing in 118 games.
The Mets’ offense entering 2023 is one of if not the team’s top concerns. The talent rounding out the order and the lack of power are the two worries that stand out with this projected lineup. But, at the top, with their five best bats, Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, and Marte, is where the Mets lineup is strongest. Marte is a huge part of that core. Hopefully, he continues to make progress leading up to and throughout Spring Training.