Three’s a crowd. How about six? The outfield in Queens is about to get a bit more crowded.
Starling Marte, who hit the IL in late June with a right knee bone bruise, will likely return some time during the Mets’ homestand, which begins Tuesday against Oakland and runs through the following Wednesday. However, the outfield looks slightly different from when Marte was last in Queens. Jesse Winker and Ben Gamel have joined the squad, while DJ Stewart was optioned to Syracuse. Marte will find plenty of fresh faces post-trade deadline as the Mets look to claim a Wild Card spot.
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Before hitting the IL, Marte looked like the player the Mets and baseball community knew. He was hitting .278/.328/.416/.745 with a 112 OPS+. According to Baseball Savant, Marte ranks in the 95th percentile in xBA (.300) and 92nd percentile in launch angle sweet-spot (39.3%). As a result, his hard-hit rate in 2024 is exponentially better than in 2023; Marte was in just the 15th percentile in the LA sweet-spot with 30.6% and 41st percentile in hard-hit rate (in 2024, he’s in the 77th percentile).
The Mets come off a road trip from hell where they scored only one run in their entire series in Seattle, where the Mariners swept them in ugly fashion. In desperate need of an offensive spark, Marte has knocked a homer and stolen a base, showing he is symptom-free and ready to return to work. The question remains: what will the outfield look like when he returns? Who plays? And is everyone sticking around?
The Suspects
Brandon Nimmo has had a funky season. He was cold, then scorching, and now, once again, he’s trying to figure it out. However, his defense hasn’t suffered and remains an everyday player, which he will continue to be in Marte’s return. He’s made the most of everywhere he’s asked to play on the field and puts on a show.
Bader has had a stellar season but has been more effective against righties, which is against type for him. However, like Nimmo, he’s made a home in center. Hitting a career-best .294/.332/.441 against righties with a wRC of 120+, Bader should see most of the time against right-handed pitching for the rest of the season. Marte, meanwhile, is mashing .333/.395/.522 with a wRC+ of 161 against lefties.
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Now comes the trickier part. Tyrone Taylor has been a revelation in late July and August in the field and at the plate. He’s robbed homers and mashed them at the plate, and he’s been a reliable presence in the lineup. However, his role was always as the fourth man, and he may return to that role with Marte’s return.
Unfortunately, Gamel feels like the odd duck out. Since joining the team on June 25, the outfielder has only started in ten contests and played 16 games. The Mets used Gamel primarily for his speed and defense late in games, but he never translated his monster Triple-A to Queens in 2024.
With J.D. Martinez as the DH, Winker’s playing might decrease with Marte’s return. A righty-masher and on-base machine, he’s hitting .266/.380/.434 against them. Winker compliments Marte nicely as they enter the final stretch. They very well could platoon.
All to say, this is a good problem for the Mets to have. The organization specifically constructed this Mets roster with long-term and short-term goals for 2024 and beyond. One of their priorities was to be flexible on the field and stay versatile and creative within the lineup, and with Marte’s return, they get the chance more than ever.
