Port St. Lucy – Don't expect to see Sterling Marte right away in the Mets' Grapefruitreeg match.
Coach Carlos Mendoza said on Wednesday that Marte, who still deals with knee pain, will begin practicing live batting in March, but that will be in the backfield.
“There are good days, some are not very good,” Mendoza said of Marte's knee. “I'm still finding that balance. [of] When it's too much, you need to pull back. However, he hasn't stopped playing baseball at all. It's more progress, so he's still going through it. ”
Part of Marte's slow ramp up this spring is that he has been dealing with knee pain since last summer, and doesn't seem to be much better after eight months.
He missed nearly two months last year due to an injury and struggled when he returned in August. In 28 games, he hit .244/.324/.311 with 10 RBIs in 28 games.
Marte, 36, has played 94 and 86 games respectively in the last two seasons, but his days as a daily outfielder have appeared behind him. In particular, Juan Soto has been added.
However, Marte is liable to $275 million this year. This is the final season of his four-year, $78 million contract.
The Mets assert that he can thrive, even in limited roles.
“We're pretty confident in that,” Mendoza said. “What I get from trainers, what they get from the doctors and what they get from Marte, he's not worried about that. I check with him every day. It feels pretty good to have him become an impact player for us.”
Like Marte, the rescuer Dedniel Núñez is not approaching watching game action.
The Mets are slowly lifting him up this spring as he recovers from his tense flexor tendon.
“I don't think I'll see him in the game any time soon,” Mendoza said. “We'll make sure we take care of him. It's a guy who handled a lot. During the offseason, he threw live BP. He's still going to get ramp ups and stuff. I'll meet him in the game. [eventually]obviously, but we are taking it slowly with him. ”
The Mets closed Nuñez for about a month last year due to an injury, and he got off to a single start in late August for the rest of the season.
He emerged as a valuable bullpen piece, owning a 2.31 ERA on 25 outings.
Soto returned to the lineup for a 4-1 defeat to the Astros on Tuesday, going 0-1 on the walk with the two-plate appearance.
He successfully took a strike called for a walk.
