ATLANTA – The Mets will play shorthanded in another game against their division rivals.
Starling Marte (left groin tightness) was absent from the Mets lineup for a third straight game on Tuesday against the Braves. Marte said he felt better and improved enough to take batting practice at Truist Park. But he’s still not 100 percent healthy.
Marte said he likely needs one or two more days before he’s back in the Mets lineup. So, that probably rules him out entirely for the Mets-Braves series that wraps up on Wednesday. The outfielder is optimistic he can return for the Amazin’s four-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, which starts on Thursday.
Since Marte and the Mets medical staff are hopeful Marte can bounce back during their seven-day road trip, the team sees little value in placing him on the injured list. Marte last played on Saturday against the Marlins and exited in the fourth inning with the groin issue.
Fourth outfielder Travis Jankowski has been filling in for Marte in right field since Monday, when he was activated from the injured list and Jeff McNeil went on paternity leave. But with Marte sitting idle and unavailable on the bench, the team’s 26-man roster is really more like 25.
“I don’t really look at it like (playing) short, but I could see how somebody would think of it that way,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said.
A reason Showalter and the Mets feel comfortable letting Marte heal without an IL stint is because there’s no player the club could call up from the minor leagues who is better than the options they already have in Jankowski and three-time Gold Glove winner Ender Inciarte.
Thus, the Mets are actually better off having so far avoided an IL stint for Marte as long as the outfielder can actually return to the field before the All-Star break. Since May, Marte is hitting .318 with an .881 OPS for the Mets. Earlier this week, he was selected for the All-Star Game for the second time in his 11-year career.
Jankowski was an important pickup for the Mets back in March when they acquired him on a minor-league deal. Now that his left 4th metacarpal fracture is behind him, he’s again making an impact for the club.
In his first game back from the IL on Monday, Jankowski was hit by a pitch and drew a walk against Max Fried to reach base in two out of his four plate appearances. With Marte unavailable due to injury, the journeyman outfielder said he much prefers to be thrown right into the fire and receive regular at-bats for the Mets.
Jankowski went 5-for-15 with two stolen bases and six walks in five games for Triple-A Syracuse while rehabbing. He said he’s able to remain sharp at the plate and see the ball better when he doesn’t have to spend time on the bench after being activated from the IL.
“It’s kind of been perfect timing for me,” Jankowski said of being in the Mets lineup Tuesday for the second straight game. “But obviously for the team I hope Marte gets better real soon.”
McNeil (paternity leave) was originally expected to return to the Mets for their series opener against the Cubs on Thursday, but he might be a bit delayed. As of Tuesday, Showalter said McNeil and his wife, Tatiana, are still waiting for the arrival of their first born.
“They’re not there yet,” Showalter said. “But if he needs more time he’ll take it. I’m very understanding of how serious it is.”
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