A night after ending their six-game losing streak, more good news found its way to Flushing Tuesday afternoon. The Mets received good news regarding Starling Marte’s groin as he is expected to return this season.
Manager Buck Showalter noted he wasn’t able to release full details citing HIPAA regulations, however, the 67-year-old believes there’s a chance Marte can return once he’s eligible from the 10-day injured list.
“Got some pretty good news today, all things considered,” Showalter said before Tuesday’s game against the Cubs. “No surgery needed, we’ve identified the issue he’s had and they attacked it today. And I’m hoping I can tell you exactly how but I’ve got to be careful with the medical stuff.”
Marte had double groin surgery in the offseason and has seen a significant dip in performance this season. The 34-year-old is slashing .248/.301/.324 with five homers and 28 RBI in 86 games this year.
The outfielder is under contract through 2025 with an average annual value of $19.5 million. Despite the track record for the two-time All-Star — who owned a .814 OPS in 118 games in 2022 — the club still wants to see how he responds to the recent solution to the injury that has been nagging him all season.
“[I] would like to see how [the groin] is going to manage with what’s been done,” Showalter said. “You don’t want to go into the offseason knowing that this is going to be an issue again. … It’ll be good to see him finish up strong knowing what the issue’s been.”
Journeyman Abraham Almonte was penciled into the lineup in right field in Marte’s absence. Almonte, Rafael Ortega and DJ Stewart figure to get outfield reps with the Mets a bit shorthanded.
MORE FROM MENDICK?
The Mets’ skipper received a call from Hall of Famer Tony La Russa — who recently managed the White Sox from 2021-22 — who said the Mets could get some contributions from utilityman Danny Mendick if his knee recovers from a torn ACL suffered in June 2022.
The 29-year-old, who blasted his first homer of the season in Monday’s win over the Cubs, spent part of four seasons with the White Sox. However, the 71 games he played in 2021 was the most time he’s spent in the big leagues.
Before tearing his ACL, Mendick experienced a stretch of success in 2022. The right-handed hitter posted a .786 OPS in 31 games. If there is more to be seen from Mendick, the Mets will surely get the opportunity to let him show it as an organization that has shifted from win-now to build for later.
DJ STEWART SCRATCHED
Stewart was scratched from the Amazins’ lineup after experiencing wrist soreness in the batting cages pregame. The 29-year-old was originally batting sixth and playing right field.
Showalter doesn’t believe it will be an IL situation and that the injury is no cause for major concern.
Stewart is slashing .212/.341/.364 with one homer and two RBI in 19 games this season.
