Starling Marte was the only player to produce anything offensively on Friday in the Mets’ 3-1 home opening loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit a second-inning solo home run that represented the Mets’ only hit of the afternoon as they were one-hit for the first time in franchise history in their home opener.
Marte was on and off the injured list several times between July and October during the 2023 season, once with migraines and once with a right groin strain. He finished his injured-list-shortened season batting just .248/.301/.324, with a .625 OPS. He had seven doubles, one triple, five home runs, drove in 28 RBIs, and scored 38 runs.
Credit: Chris Simon
But, with one swing against Freddy Peralta, Marte gave all Mets fans hope that he could be healthy in 2024. The ability to turn on a fastball inside could be a telling sign that his groin pain is in the past, and that the Mets could get the 2022 All-Star version of Marte.
Marte brought attention to his health after the Mets’ 3-1 loss to the Brewers, discussing the work he put in during the offseason and how he feels healthy going into 2024.
“It feels good to be healthy after everything I went through last year with all the injuries and all the problems I had. It felt really good with all the hard work I put in during the offseason. I was able to play in the Dominican Winter League, thank you to the team for being able to help me out, and also giving me permission to go play over there. But it also feels just really good to be able to come here, since the start of spring training, to feel right and to be able to have the results that I’ve been having.”
With all the preparation in the offseason, Marte looks to stay healthy in 2024. So far, he looks like he’s on track after starting the season with a towering home run in his first at-bat of the year. Marte’s homer on Friday marked the third consecutive year in which he has homered in the Mets’ home opener.
If you’re Marte and the Mets, this is exactly what you wanted to see. A healthy swing and Marte coming into the season hitting the ball as hard as he is. His first two at-bats of the season were 109.2 mph and 107 mph off the bat respectively. An encouraging sign for the outfielder who hopes he can replicate that home run many more times in 2024.
