Mets' Star Outfielder 'Slowly' Recovering From Injury; No Timetable for Return

The Mets received a less-than-ideal update on one of their injured stars.

Jun 19, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) celebrates with New York Mets right fielder Starling Marte (6) after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Things are going well for the New York Mets, but this update certainly isn't one of them.

Outfielder Starling Marte is progressing "slowly" from a bone bruise in his right knee, according to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. There is improvement, but not enough to have a timeline on Marte's return, as New York is waiting for him to be pain-free before resuming baseball activities.

"Slow still," Mendoza said. "The imaging shows improvement, like I’ve said, but his recovering is taking a slower pace here. So, we’re not sure when he’ll be back, but we want to make sure he’s pain free when he’s doing all of the activities that he’s doing."

Mets Notes: Starling Marte "slow" in his recovery, a day off for J.D. Martinez, and an update on Sean Reid-Foley https://t.co/yRhLhgNggY pic.twitter.com/WkRnUgrAkV

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 14, 2024

The 35-year-old Marte hasn't played since June 22 in Chicago, and was placed on the 10-day injured list three days later. On the season, he has a .278/.328/.416 slash line with 18 extra-base hits (including seven home runs), 12 stolen bases, 30 RBI, 38 runs scored, and a 115 wRC+.

From May 29 to June 12, Marte was playing like he was in his prime with seven multi-hit games in a nine-game span; he was hitting .471/.526/.706 with eight RBI and nine runs scored despite dealing with knee soreness. But in his last seven games before landing on the injured list, the knee issue began catching up to the 13-year veteran, as he recorded just four hits in 25 plate appearances. Finally, on June 22 against the Chicago Cubs, Marte was taken out of the game in the second inning after he hobbled down the first base line after a groundout.

The Mets have gotten enough production from both Brandon Nimmo and Harrison Bader to make up for the loss of Marte; Nimmo has been playing like an All-Star (especially as of late) and Bader has substantially increased his offensive contributions to compliment his brilliant defense. But with Tyrone Taylor and D.J. Stewart struggling, the Mets still lack production from right field at the moment.

New York is still in playoff position, as they hold the third Wild Card spot in the NL and are just a half-game out of the second Wild Card spot. Although Marte doesn't have a current timeline to return, the Mets could be firing on all cylinders when he returns and separate themselves from the rest of the pack.