Port St. Lucy – Sterling Marte may not receive much opportunity to play in the outfield this season, but he says he is ready for anything he needs.
To that end, the veteran outfielder showed his preparations as the first right fielder in a 3-2 exhibition victory over the Cardinals at Clover Park on Friday.
Marte, who missed out on massive action last season with a bone bruise in his right knee, made his first appearance in the outfield this spring.
“[The knee] I feel it's completely different from last year,” Marte said through an interpreter.
On this day, Marte played five innings on the right field.
The plan is to give him a longer stint on the field before the Mets beat camp on Monday.
Marte, 36, believes he will receive a large portion of his actions in the part-time DH role, but he wants to play the outfield.
“I like playing in the outfield,” he said. “I want the opportunity to be in the outfield, and obviously, I have DH, which gives my knees time to recover.
Marte got a chance on the left field – occasional resting on Brandon Nemo – but that's also a position he's never played with the Diamondbacks since 2020.
Dedniel Núñez allowed two runs in one inning in his second appearance this spring.
Carlos Mendoza said he plans to give Nuñez an additional outing before the Mets Break camp, but he wasn't sure if he would ask the right-hander to pitch twice in three days.
Tylor Megill is scheduled to face the Nationals of Grapefruitreeg on Saturday, with Paul Blackburn pitching in a minor league match.
Megill and Griffin Canning are the forefront of the final two spinning spots, with Blackburn expected to open a season in the bullpen.
