Before the first of two games on Wednesday, New York Mets manager Buck Showalter announced that veteran outfielder Starling Marte will not play again this season.
Marte, who has not played in an MLB game since August 5th, will be shut down for the rest of the season after trying to come back from a nagging groin injury. Marte’s 2023 season has been a disappointing one, as his production diminished significantly from his 2022 output while dealing with a multitude of injuries. While a string of illnesses and migraines during the middle of the season became a concern, a groin injury is what will finally end his season.
Starling Marte. Photo by Ed Delaney, MMO
Marte’s groin injury history with the Mets began late in the 2022 season, as he missed most of the month of September before coming back to play in the Wild Card round of the playoffs against the Padres. Following the season, Starling underwent surgery on both sides of his groin in November, which was successful, but obviously limited him on the field in 2023.
Marte was originally planned to play in a string of minor league rehab games before making his eventual return for the final homestand of the season, but Buck Showalter said that the Mets did not have enough time to ramp the 34-year-old up. However, the Mets skipper did mention that Starling’s hitting metrics are back to his baseline, and noted that feels confident that Marte will be healthy going forward. Marte is under contract with the Mets through the 2025 season.
When Showalter was asked if Marte will avoid having surgery this offseason, he said “I’d like to say yes. He’s doing everything that he wasn’t doing, and he’s recovering. I think we’re in a good place. That injury and the surgeries he’s had, most people will tell you sometimes it’s the following year [that is the biggest challenge]. We hope that’s the case.” Showalter noted that he wouldn’t count out Marte from having a bounce back in future seasons, saying “”I wouldn’t sell him short, he’s got a gleam in his eye — a lot of people talking about where he is in his career. I wouldn’t bet against him next year.”
Marte will finish his second season in New York with a slash line of .248/.301/.324 with a -.8 WAR and -6 outs above average (OAA) in only 86 games played.
