Wednesday, September 03

Welcome back to the Mets Beat newsletter! Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007, including the past 16 seasons full-time on the beat.

NEW YORK -- This time of year, nearly every baseball player is dealing with something. Starling Marte, roughly one month shy of his 37th birthday, is no different.

For the past two seasons, Marte has battled right knee issues stemming from a bone bruise in that area. He missed much of the second half last year before playing through pain down the stretch and in October. He went on the injured list again this July.

The difference is that this year, Marte has figured out how to manage it. The treatment plan Mets performance staffers gave him is working. Each day, Marte spends time in the training room, part of a lengthy routine to prep himself for games.

The results have been plain to see for Marte as he comes to the end of the four-year, $78 million contract he signed before the 2022 season. Through Sunday’s play, he was batting .280/.358/.432 with eight homers and seven stolen bases over 82 games. While Marte’s counting stats may not seem like much, that’s largely because he’s become a part-time player at this point in his career. On a per-rate basis, Marte is giving the Mets by far his best season since his ’22 All-Star campaign.

“Now, he’s in a way better spot,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Especially early on, before he went down before the All-Star break when we ended up putting him on the IL, it was a grind for him. But obviously the trainers are doing a hell of a job with him, and he’s got a really good routine.

“We have to take care of him. I feel like now, he’s in a better spot where it’s not as hard. He’s still got to get in there, he’s still got to get treatment, he’s still got to take care of it. He’s not going to make excuses, and he goes out there and performs. He’s a big part of this team. But I like where he’s at right now, physically.”

Heading into the final month of the season, the Mets don’t need Marte to be much more than a part-time DH. When Marte is hot at the plate, Mendoza will start him more often than not. If the Mets are dealing with a minor outfield injury, Mendoza may ask Marte to step in. This limited role is one that Marte, a full-time player for nearly his entire career, has come to accept. He brings levity and a touch of leadership to the clubhouse.

What comes next for Marte isn’t entirely clear. Heading into free agency at age 37, Marte isn’t an obvious fit for a Mets team that has plenty of DH options. But Marte does still want to play in 2026 and beyond, for as long as teams will have him.

“It’s whatever God has planned for me,” he said. “I think the most important thing is that I’m going to go out there, play at a high level, stay healthy and do my best in whatever capacity that may be. But yeah, I want to continue playing.”

Last month, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong became the fourth pair of Mets teammates to earn wins in their Major League debuts in the same season. Which of the following are on not on that list?

A) Roger McDowell and Rick Aguilera

B) Bobby Jones and Kenny Greer

C) Bill Pulsipher and Paul Byrd

D) Robert Gsellman and Gabriel Ynoa

There’s been a notable change in Mendoza’s tone over the past week or two, as the Mets descend into the stretch run of their season.

Earlier this year, Mendoza often preached patience. Regardless of whether he was discussing Juan Soto’s early slump or some starting pitching hiccups, Mendoza tended to lead with a steadying hand. He had little interest in panic moves or overreactions.

Now, with less than a month to play, Mendoza understands it’s put-up-or-shut-up time. The Mets are working to secure a playoff spot, even if the National League East title is beginning to look like a pipe dream. His roster management has become a meritocracy: Play well and continue to play. Play poorly, and nothing’s guaranteed.

That philosophy explains why the Mets are at least re-evaluating Kodai Senga’s spot in what has briefly been a six-man rotation. With Tong deserving of another start, the Mets don’t have to keep pitching Senga, who’s winless with a 6.56 ERA over his past eight starts. At some point between now and the postseason, the Mets are going to have to cut their six-man rotation down to four. Senga and others are very much auditioning to be part of that mix.

“We are evaluating these guys pretty much start-to-start, how guys are bouncing back,” Mendoza said. “We want to get creative if we need to, and we had that conversation with all of them. They’re on board. They know where we’re at on the schedule, and the meaning of every game and the importance of it. And they’re willing to do whatever it takes.”

For more on the Senga situation, read David Adler’s story from Sunday.

• The best word Tong could find to describe his debut was “insane,” an adjective he repeated several times in the wake of it. While Tong’s first Major League start wasn’t quite as dominant as McLean’s, he showed plenty of flashes of his potential. Here’s the full story from a raucous Friday night at Citi.

• A night later, Soto hit two homers and stole two bases to make a 30-30 season seem realistic. He really is having an exceptional year.

• Whatever Francisco Alvarez is made of, it’s not the same as you and me. Three days after fracturing his left pinkie on a hit-by-pitch, Alvarez was back in the Triple-A Syracuse lineup on a rehab assignment. His goal is to make it back to the Mets in September, despite both the broken finger and a sprained thumb UCL that will require surgery after the season. Some guys are just built different.

C) Bill Pulsipher and Paul Byrd

Pulsipher allowed seven runs in his 1995 debut to take the loss, while Byrd pitched in relief and didn’t factor into the decision in his first game.

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