PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Spring injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas have left the Mets’ rotation relying on its depth for the start of the season, but the man who put the staff together believes his team will be able to get the job done until the pair is ready to return.

"You never want to have injuries of any sort, but I think we understand that's part of baseball,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said Thursday during his mid-spring press conference. “It's part of going through a seven-, eight-month, nine-month season. I would prefer it didn't happen before our first Spring Training game, but I do think we're built to withstand this. The rest of our guys are throwing the ball very well."

With Manaea (strained right oblique) and Montas (right lat strain) sidelined, the season-opening rotation is likely to consist of Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Paul Blackburn and Griffin Canning. Tylor Megill could also work his way into the mix, though he has options remaining and can begin the season in the Minors.

"A number of them came to camp maybe working on something a little bit different; by and large, those new projects have gone well,” Stearns said. “That's always fun for us to watch in camp and for you guys to watch in camp. You never really know how it plays going into the regular season, but it's going well, and I think we feel pretty good about where our starting staff is at the moment.”

Manaea could begin a throwing program next week, as the left-hander is scheduled to undergo imaging tests Monday or Tuesday. Once he begins to throw, Manaea will likely need at least six weeks -- “a normal Spring Training,” as Stearns put it -- before he will be ready to make his 2025 debut, which the Mets are hoping will come before the end of April.

Montas will also require the same kind of build-up, though his injury will keep him from throwing at all until sometime in April. That puts him on track to potentially return in late May or early June, so the Mets’ rotation depth will play an integral role in the first half of the season.

"Both Sean and Frankie seem to be progressing, at least for now, along the timeframes we anticipated at the front end, which is a good thing,” Stearns said. “Now let's keep the rest of our guys healthy. Let's get into the season."

Stearns hit on a number of other topics during his session with reporters:

• Although Brandon Sproat was reassigned to Minor League camp on Tuesday, Stearns has liked what he’s seen from the Mets’ No. 1 prospect this spring.

"It's tough not to be impressed,” Stearns said of Sproat, who allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts against the Astros on Thursday. “He carries himself very well. I think he's very focused. He's still growing and adding to his arsenal, which is exciting for a guy who's as talented as he is and has flown through the Minor Leagues at the rate that he has.”

That said, the Mets believe Sproat needs to continue to develop, which he will do at Triple-A when the season begins.

"We want to see him really have significant success at the Triple-A level,” Stearns said. “I think he wants to prove he can do that as well. And once we see that, then we can start talking about when is the right time at the Major League level.”

What would represent “significant success” to Stearns?

"I don’t know,” Stearns said with a smile. “We kind of know it when we see it. We want him to get guys out, and I think he will.”

• Luisangel Acuña could open the season as a utility player for the Mets, who are looking to fill the void left by Nick Madrigal’s season-ending injury. The Mets’ No. 7 prospect, Acuña played well during his brief 14-game stint in the Majors last season, but some have wondered whether the 22-year-old might be best-served by playing every day at Triple-A.

"We're not going to put prospects on the team just to sit on the bench,” Stearns said. “I'm also pretty confident that over the course of the year, through injuries, through performance fluctuations, through matchups, we're going to be able to get our young players sufficient playing time at the Major League level.”

• Asked if he’s learned anything about Juan Soto that he didn’t know when he signed him, Stearns pointed to Soto’s sense of humor.

"He likes to have fun. He's a funny guy,” Stearns said. “I think seeing him interact with his teammates on a daily basis, interact with the staff on a daily basis, it's business when it's in the cage, and it's business when it's [on the field], and then when it's [in the clubhouse], it's fun and it's humor, smiling. That's cool to see.”