A week before opening day, the Mets made their final offseason splash by signing J.D. Martinez to a one-year contract worth $15 million.
Martinez was expected to join the team relatively quickly after conditioning in the minor leagues to compensate for his lack of spring training.
The 36-year-old’s call to the majors got delayed after Martinez dealt with overall body soreness while ramping up, but according to reports, the six-time all-star could be coming up as soon as Friday.
J.D. Martinez is expected to join the Mets
According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, assuming Martinez comes out of today’s Triple-A game without any injuries, the Mets are expected to start the 36-year-old as the designated hitter in the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Martinez is coming off a stellar season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, in which he slashed .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs and 103 RBIs and had a stellar 134 OPS+.
In four minor league appearances this season, Martinez has slashed .267/.353/.333 with no home runs and two RBIs.
Who loses their roster spot to Martinez?
The Mets have two primary candidates to be sent down for Matinez.
The first is Zack Short. Short is coming off an average year with the Detroit Tigers slashing .204/.292/.339 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs while playing all around the infield before signing with the Mets this past offseason.
After an impressive spring, Short made the opening-day roster and has appeared mainly as a defensive replacement. Through 10 appearances, the 28-year-old is 1-for-9 at the dish.
Joey Wendle is on a guaranteed deal and performing better than Short to start the season while playing the same role.
The other is D.J. Stewart. Stewart was a second-half hero for the Mets last year, and despite struggling in spring, made the opening day roster.
The Florida native is slashing .190/.364/.452 while having a 133 OPS+ with three home runs and 11 RBIs.
Stewart has primarily served as the designated hitter this season but could remain in the organization. Unlike Short, he has minor-league options remaining.
Time will tell who president of baseball operations David Stearns chooses to cut but the decision will be a difficult one.