With just over two weeks until Opening Day, New York Mets right fielder Michael Conforto is on the shelf with a right oblique strain and the Mets are now left to piece things together on the fly.

Luckily, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen has made roster depth a pillar of this ball club since taking the reins last offseason and they appear to be well-prepared for this unexpected blow.

Conforto, 27, was coming off a strong 2019 and preparing for another impact year in Flushing when injury struck on Saturday versus the Nationals while making a play on a fly ball.

Van Wagenen was hesitant to put a timeframe on Conforto’s return while speaking with the team’s media corps on Tuesday in Port St. Lucie, but he did inform reporters that the Mets’ starting right fielder would be reassessed in a week.

“It’s hard to assess if this or any other injury is a major injury at this stage in the game,” Van Wagenen said (via Anthony DiComo, MLB). “We’ll see how he responds in the coming days, and then as we evaluate his game readiness next week. I’m sure we’ll have more information at that point in time.”

OK, now what?

The most likely outfield alignment in Conforto’s absence will shift Brandon Nimmo into right field, bringing Jake Marisnick off the bench and into center field and a combination of J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith in left field.

While Conforto’s offense will surely be missed, Marisnick’s spectacular defense up the middle will surely provide value. It’s not ideal, but injuries will happen. And when they do, it’s advantageous for them to occur during the early stages of the season and not down the stretch.

Mets manager Luis Rojas confirmed non-roster invitee Eduardo Nunez (9-for-21, two doubles, a triple, five RBIs, three strikeouts, three walks this spring) would be getting reps in the corner outfield spots over the next two weeks, but with his inexperience at the position, he may be better suited for a general utility spot on the roster if his bubble doesn’t burst before camp breaks.

Another of the Mets’ minor-league signings this winter, Ryan Cordell, has had a fine spring (9-for-33, a double, a homer, and some terrific defense… oh, and 12 strikeouts) and could very well be in line for a bench spot if Conforto is out for an extended period of time.

The oblique is as tricky an injury as there is and hardly ever heals in under a month, so that’s certainly a possibility. If that’s the case, the Mets need to adjust and adapt — and do it quickly.

Cordell, while competent, simply isn’t going to fill Michael Conforto’s shoes while he’s on the mend. Marisnick will provide sterling defense, but his bat figures to be a weak spot in the Mets’ lineup. Yoenis Cespedes has yet to play in a Grapefruit League game and only began running the bases over the last week — he’s probably not showing up to save the day (yet).

If the Mets’ decision-makers favor defense — hoping that the lineup sans Conforto is still potent enough — then they’ll go with Marisnick and hope for the best. But if this team wants to limit the decreased offense in Conforto’s absence, they do have another option — albeit, an outside-the-box one.

Jeff McNeil, likely tabbed for duties at third base this season, can shift back to left field, where he played capably last season (-2 OAA, 0 DRS, -0.2 UZR), moving J.D. Davis to third (+1 OAA at the hot corner last season; -7 OAA in left) when the added defense is needed in the outfield and vice versa.

Nimmo would move back into center field — where he was penciled in for the 2020 season, anyway — and the Mets sign Yasiel Puig to play in right field until the roster is whole again. At that point, Puig becomes yet another potentially damaging bat coming off the bench and the Mets continue onward.

Hey, it could happen.