PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Mets outfielder Starling Marte feels great. “I feel like I can play 170 games,” he joked to a group of reporters, surrounding his locker.
Marte is eager to put last year behind him. Having experienced lingering pain after undergoing double groin surgery during the 2023 offseason and then suffering debilitating migraines, Marte’s season was cut short — he played his final game on Aug. 5.
In all, Marte appeared in 86 games, the fewest number of games he’s played in a 162-game season since 2017 when he was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He posted career worsts in batting average (.248) and OPS (.625) in 2023, but still managed to steal 24 bases.
With the team under new management, David Stearns was hired as the team’s president of baseball operations and Carlos Mendoza as the manager, since the last time he played, this winter, he wanted to show them he was ready to play.
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So he asked to participate in winter ball in the Dominican Republic. Asked why, Marte said, “Because I feel like I’m ready now and I want to show you guys that I’m ready to play.”
Mendoza was there for those conversations.
“We made sure that he was healthy, that he was recovering well after all the hurdles that he (had in) past,” Mendoza told reporters. “It was important, but it was fluid, It was a really good conversation, and we’re glad that he was able to get those reps in the Dominican (Republic).”
Overall, Marte made a good impression, batting .286 with a .388 on-base percentage and two stolen bases. One of those stolen bases came with Mendoza and Stearns, in the Country to attend the graduation ceremony at the Mets’ Dominican Academy and International Signing Day, in attendance.
In the game against Los Tigres del Licey, Mets brass watched Marte go 2-for-5 with a steal.
“The experience was good,” Marte said of his time in the…
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