Updated Post – March 23, 20:22 PM 

Starling Marte told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com that he expects to play a lot of right field during the regular season.

Marte, 33, played right field in a minor league game on Wednesday as he rehabbed an oblique injury.

Important to note that Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha, and Marte can each play all three outfield positions and that will give the Mets flexibility.

The veteran laid down a bunt hit in the minor league game despite the fact that he was supposed to rake non-active at-bats (just stand there). He also ran first-to-third on a hit.

Marte says that he will be ready for Opening Day.

Original Post – March 23, 14:56 PM

Mets outfielder Starling Marte played right field in a minor league game Wednesday.

This is important for a few different reasons. First off, he has been dealing with oblique soreness. He hasn’t been able to swing, but recently began hitting off a tee. The Mets have been incredibly cautious with the 33-year old, considering he has had injury trouble in the past. 2015 and 2020 were the only full seasons of Marte’s career, as he has dealt with injuries and other issues throughout his career.

While he came up to the plate during the game, he didn’t swing the bat.

The other interesting part of this is that Marte is out in right field. Brandon Nimmo said earlier in the off-season that he wants to play center field in the final year of his contract, even though the Mets just signed Marte.

Throughout Marte’s career, he has played 553 games in center field, and 593 games in left field. However, he has never played an inning in right field in his major league career.

Comparatively in center field, Brando Nimmo had an Outs Above Average (OAA) of four in 2021, while Marte only had one. Brandon Nimmo had a 92% success rate in 2021 in center, and Marte had 87%.

Nimmo completely turned his center field defense around in 2021. In 2020, he had a -4 OAA. He managed to jump that up eight points in just one season. Marte’s defense has deteriorated as each year has gone by since 2018.

Mets manager Buck Showalter mentioned right field as a possibility for Marte during the 2022 season. If that is the case, the potential Mets outfield alignment could look like this:

Mark Canha LF
Brandon Nimmo CF
Starling Marte RF

There is also the possibility that Marte would only play right field for just one season, in the event the Mets do not re-sign Nimmo when he hits free agency after this season.