The New York Mets placed outfielder Starling Marte on the injured list on Tuesday due to a right knee bone bruise. The team has been monitoring Marte’s knee for multiple weeks at this point, but the issue clearly would not go away.
Carlos Mendoza says that Starling Marte has a deep bone bruise and will not be able to do any baseball activity for two weeks.
Mendoza also says that the Mets are looking at "at least four weeks" before Marte can be a player for them again. pic.twitter.com/mu9EQOu6oO
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 25, 2024
Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, Marte was told to rest his knee for 15 days after receiving an MRI on Monday. Manager Carlos Mendoza officially told reporters that Marte will rest for two weeks and won’t return for at least four weeks.
In a corresponding move, New York will select the contract of veteran outfielder Ben Gamel from Triple-A Syracuse.
Starling Marte Placed on 10-day IL
Marte’s knee issue has kept him in and out of the lineup over the past several weeks. New York thought moving slowly with the 35-year-old could help protect his knee and avoid a multi-week absence. Unfortunately, that did not pan out as hoped.
The outfielder immediately left Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs after grounding out in the second inning. The Mets held him out of Sunday’s lineup and finally scheduled an MRI in New York on Monday.
Starling Marte UNLOADS on one! pic.twitter.com/67RcMDP9zG
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 13, 2024
The Mets will place Marte on the injured list right as he started heating up with the bat. In his past 16 games, the veteran hit .351/.413/.509 with four steals, 11 runs, and two doubles and triples a piece. This rebound performance came after Marte and the Mets’ offense struggled last season and early in 2024.
Overall this year, Marte has produced a 116 wRC+ with solid strikeout and walk rates. Though the Mets surely would prefer better slugging from him, underlying metrics show that Marte has made decent contact this season. These metrics could indicate that Marte’s hot streak is sustainable rather than luck or fluky.
Right Field Replacement
New York recently claimed a speedy outfielder off waiver from the Chicago White Sox. The Mets could utilize that elite speed for a couple of weeks with Marte on the injured list. However, it’s more likely that New York plays Tyrone Taylor against lefties and platoon DJ Stewart and Gamel against right-handers. Plus, Gamel will likely replace Stewart late in games as a defensive replacement.
Ben Gamel will replace Starling Marte on the Mets' roster
He is hitting .314 with a .962 OPS this year at Triple-A Syracuse and has 8 years of major league experience pic.twitter.com/cwgGwd8xrz
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 25, 2024
That said, Stewart and Gamel could be competing for a roster spot once Marte returns. Stewart possesses good power and a great ability to get on base. Unfortunately, he is hitting .189, has no speed on the bases, and isn’t a great fielder.
Gamel has spent most of his 8-year career as a fourth outfielder. He hits slightly below league average, but he doesn’t have big platoon splits and provides solid defense. New York’s overall roster could be better suited with this type of player rather than the occasional pop from Stewart.
A similar situation played out at catcher recently for the Mets, and the better-rounded player won the job. It seems that the fifth outfielder role will serve as Part 2 of that type of roster battle.
Main Photo: © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
