Starling Marte's hand sore but Mets consider him day-to-day
The Mets' Starling Marte hits a two-run homer in the third inning against the Dodgers at Citi Field on Aug. 31. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
PITTSBURGH — Starling Marte sat out the Mets’ doubleheader against the Pirates, but they are hopeful he won’t miss much more than that.
The Mets revealed Wednesday night — after 24 hours of concern, medical imaging and waiting on doctors’ opinions — that Marte suffered a partial nondisplaced fracture in his right middle finger. They said they consider him day to day.
Displaced fractures are more serious and often require surgery, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery, the Mets’ primary medical facility. That Marte’s is nondisplaced means his injury could have been worse.
“We were hoping that there wasn’t some form of a fracture, but the good news is it looks like something he’ll be able to manage,” manager Buck Showalter said. “This one we’ll probably have to give some time. Hopefully it won’t be very long.”
Showalter did not rule out Marte going on the injured list.
“It depends on how quickly it heals and how it feels and what our needs are,” he said. “But he’s certainly somebody worth waiting on, and that’s what we’re planning on doing right now.”
Marte’s hand absorbed a 96-mph fastball from Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller on Tuesday. That left him unable to grip/throw a baseball even though swinging a bat “didn’t feel too bad,” according to Showalter.
The Mets lead the majors with 91 HBPs through 138 games. That put them on pace for 107, which would break the modern-era record of 105 (set by last year’s Reds).
And they haven’t had any resulting IL trips — yet.
“I don’t know how we have gotten through this without anything broken,” Showalter said.
New No. 2
Pete Alonso returned to the No. 2 spot in the Mets’ lineup — his primary position in the batting order during his rookie season in 2019 — for both games Wednesday. He doubled in the first inning of the opener, the key hit in a Mets rally that yielded a lead they never relinquished, and he went 2-for-4 in Game 2.
“Some things [happen] by necessity,” Showalter said. “Give him a different look, a different perspective. He responded well.”
Alonso was 2-for-his-previous-25 entering the day.
Extra bases
Joely Rodriguez was questionable again Wednesday due to a stiff neck, which he said resulted from sleeping funny Sunday into Monday. “It’s nothing too crazy,” he said, explaining that he had a similar issue during spring training but it lasted only a couple of days . . . Yoan Lopez was the Mets’ 27th man for the doubleheader . . . Tylor Megill (strained right shoulder) tossed a perfect inning for Triple-A Syracuse . . . Joey Lucchesi (Tommy John surgery last year) moved up to Double-A Binghamton to continue his rehab assignment, giving up four runs (two earned) in an inning. He had been with Low-A St. Lucie . . . In his first major-league at-bat since 2019, Terrance Gore struck out looking in the ninth inning of the nightcap. He had won two World Series rings, with the Dodgers in 2020 and Atlanta in 2021, since most recently stepping to the plate.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
