When people think of the New York Mets’ performance this season, they tend to focus on their stars. Despite being passed over for the All-Star Game, Juan Soto has returned to being one of Major League Baseball’s brightest talents. He and Carlos Mendoza have the Mets ranked second in their division. However, New York’s manager must temporarily assign Jesse Winker to Starling Marte’s designated hitter role.
Marte received a knee bruise during the weekend game against the New York Yankees. The veteran outfielder joins Soto, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor as the Mets’ offensive leaders. While Marte’s return date has yet to be determined, Mendoza may be confident that one former All-Star will replace the other.
Winker has returned off the disabled list following an oblique injury.
According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Marte has been affected by the knee bruise before. The 14-year-old pro missed two months earlier this season due to a similar ailment. While not having their leadoff hitter available is unfortunate, Mendoza has enough talent to keep the team going without him.
At Marte’s age, the Mets are not in a hurry to bring him back before he is fully healthy. With his injury behind him, Winker is more than capable of stepping in as DH for as long as needed.
He will have the opportunity to pick up Marte’s slack against the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Chiefs before the All-Star break.
Losing Marte to the IL is another setback for New York as they want to create momentum this week. Mendoza’s team has had a mixed bag of results during the past ten games. However, back-to-back series victories over playoff clubs could provide the necessary lift.
Marte’s absence is likely to linger till after the break. Without him, leadoff responsibilities fall to either Soto or Lindor. Mendoza and the fans want their DH a speedy recovery so that they can pursue a postseason spot at full strength.
Leave a Reply