Knee Bruise Places Marte on Injured List
Update in the world of baseball: Mets right-fielder, Starling Marte, is expected to be out for about a month due to a severe knee bruise. An odd mystery buzzes around this news, though, because no one quite knows how Marte ended up with this injury. To ease the blow a bit, the Mets listed Marte as an injured player last Tuesday, counting backward to the prior Sunday. At the same time, Ben Gamel, an outfielder from Triple-A Syracuse, got the call up to the big leagues.
Ongoing Knee Soreness Becomes Too Much
There’s no new story about Marte’s knee trouble. He’s been feeling irritation off and on since the start of the month but was hanging in there. Then, during a game at Wrigley Field last Saturday, all of a sudden, the soreness got worse. After his first go at the plate, Marte admitted he could no longer bear the pain. On returning from Chicago last Monday, the Mets had his knee scanned. The good news? No structural damage. The bad news? A long healing road.
Doctor’s Orders – No Baseball for Two Weeks
“He will need to step back from any baseball activities for two weeks to lessen the impact on his knee,” revealed manager Carlos Mendoza at Citi Field last Tuesday. After that break, Marte will have another scan. Depending on the results, it could be another two weeks before he’s back in action with us.
Marte’s Enforced Break From Form
In many ways, Marte is a key piece to the Mets’ puzzle. He spent a lot of last season on the bench because of groin injuries. Finally, this year, he was back in form. He was hitting a .304 average with an .817 OPS while contributing three extra-base hits, a home run, seven RBI and stealing three bases over 13 games this month. But fate struck a cruel blow when he ended up with the severe knee bruise.
Manager Mendoza tried to pinpoint the cause. “I asked him if there was a particular play or moment when the knee started to hurt. He was clueless,” Mendoza shared. “The closest hint to a cause was an incident in D.C. where he chased a ball then felt a twinge in his knee when he reverted to his position.”
Gamel Steps Up Despite Not Starting Against Yankees
Though Gamel didn’t start in the match against the Yankees, don’t hold your breath for too long. He’s been delivering an incredible performance at the plate in Triple-A. Recording a .314 average with a .962 OPS, Gamel has slammed seven home runs and bagged a whopping 24 RBI.
Mets Prepare Rotation in Outfield
The Mets won’t lean too much on Gamel alone. Expect to see a combination of Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil mostly in the rotation. Also, thanks to Syracuse call-up Jose Iglesias delivering on the field, the Mets can move McNeil to the outfield. Iglesias and McNeil have a history of performing well against the Yankees which could prove a tactical advantage in the upcoming matches.
Injury Update
On the injury front, a scan confirmed Sean Reid-Foley’s repeated shoulder impingement. The plan is to have a cortisone injection which will pause his baseball activities for a short while before starting a throwing program. Mendoza is hoping for a quick comeback.
Honoring Willie Mays
Finally, before their game on Tuesday night, both the Mets and Yankees honored the late baseball legend, Willie Mays. A tribute video played, and a moment of silence was observed. Mays started his incredible MLB career with the New York Giants in 1951 and ended it with the Mets in 1973. Let’s remember his contributions to the game as we wish for speedy recoveries all around.