The vibes are high in Queens as the New York Mets continue surging early in the 2025 MLB campaign. However, they could be even higher if Starling Marte got his act together.
Prized offseason acquisition Juan Soto has been raking since hitting his first home run at Citi Field. Francisco Lindor joined crosstown legend Derek Jeter on a shortlist of all-time great shortstops in rarified air. The Mets sit atop the National League East standings. Yet, New York still has another gear they can kick into with improved outfield production (beyond the $765 million man), namely from Marte.
Marte's been struggling mightily this season. Even in his newfound part-time DH role, he's failed to do much of anything. If the 36-year-old doesn't fare better, manager Carlos Mendoza won't have a choice but to pull the plug on him.
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Mets may need to give up on Starling Marte if veteran outfielder's slump continues
Boasting a pedestrian .188/.293/.313 slash line with two home runs and 12 RBIs across 64 at-bats, it's been tough sledding for Marte. His .606 OPS is well below the league average. He also has an 18.7 percent strikeout rate. How much longer can the Mets trot him out there?
To make matters worse, Marte has oddly been batting cleanup for the Mets, six of his games played, specifically. They're following up a potent top-of-the-lineup trio of Lindor, Soto and Pete Alonso with just four extra-base hits to his name in 2025. Simply put, that won't get the job done for a club with World Series aspirations.
New York's outfield being banged up has given Marte a little longer of a runway than the Mets would like. Jose Siri is on the shelf until mid-to-late June (at least) with a fractured left tibia. Moreover, Jesse Winker was recently placed on the injured list due to a Grade 2 right oblique strain and will miss six to eight weeks.
But even with Winker and Siri out, the Mets have other lineup adjustments they can make that don't involve Marte. They can replace him with Jeff McNeil or Brett Baty, the former of whom is a two-time All-Star with a batting title to his name. Anything is better than what they're currently getting from the DH spot.