CHICAGO — The Mets have had their entire starting lineup available for the past week and a half, but Starling Marte’s sore right knee may force the team to search for a right fielder for more than a few days.
Marte, who has been battling knee discomfort in recent weeks, is scheduled to undergo tests, including an MRI, on Monday that will give Marte and the Mets a better understanding of the situation.
Marte was removed from the starting lineup for Sunday’s game against the Cubs after leaving the game in the second inning with knee soreness.
One Mets teammate on Sunday called for Marte to rest until he’s healthy.
“At the end of the day, this is a long game, a long season, and you want to be healthy, not take at-bats and go day-to-day,” J.D. Martinez told The Post before the game at Wrigley Field. “I’ve been like that before, not being healthy and going day-to-day is not fun. [Marte’s] For your sake and for the sake of the team, please rest.”
The Mets have had their entire starting lineup play since Francisco Alvarez returned from the disabled list on June 11.
The catcher missed seven weeks rehabbing from surgery to repair torn ligaments in his thumb.
Outside of Alvarez, the Mets have been relatively fortunate so far in terms of getting their starting pitchers off the disabled list.
Manager Carlos Mendoza has used Marte cautiously, giving the 35-year-old outfielder off days to protect his legs.
Most notably, Mendoza took that approach in recent weeks while the Mets were playing on artificial turf in Miami, London and Texas.
When asked if there would be value in putting Marte on the IL to rest the knee regardless of the test results, Mendoza said the team would wait for the results of an MRI first.
“I don’t want to pick too early here,” Mendoza said. “I want to take a good look at him and see what needs to be done and then make a decision on his future.”
DJ Stewart will start in place of Marte on Sunday, and the Mets have Tyrone Taylor as another option in the outfield.
Trayce Thompson and Ben Gamel are Triple-A Syracuse outfielders with major league experience.
Mendoza said Jeff McNeil can also play in the outfield and there’s still a chance he could be utilized in that role.
Marte missed most of the final two months of last season because of a groin strain.
He also had an IL stay due to migraines.
However, he was able to remain on the roster for this season.
In 66 games, he has a batting average of .278, an on-base percentage of .328, a slugging percentage of .416, seven home runs, 30 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.
Marte has been a solid contributor on the offensive end, but his defensive stumbles have been glaring.
“He’s very talented, he can do it all. He’s good defensively when he’s healthy,” Martinez said. “He pitches well, he hits well. He’s a key player because he helps us at the plate.”
“I’ve been in situations where I want to play and I just can’t get healthy. It obviously sucks when you can’t get the timing right and you play and it doesn’t pay off like you want it to. It’s better for me if you fix it and get healthy.”
