Mets fans will have to wait a while longer to watch prized offseason acquisition

The longer J.D. Martinez lingered on the free agent market, the more attractive he became to a team in need of a designated hitter like the New York Mets. Eventually, his price dipped to a number they simply could not turn down, and the Mets finally signed a player capable of protecting one of the most prolific power hitters in the sport, Pete Alonso.

Martinez might be 36 years old, but just last season he hit 33 home runs with 103 RBI in just 113 games played and he had a .893 OPS as well. He's a game-changer Mets fans were excited to watch rake all season long.

The fact that he signed so close to Opening Day meant that he wasn't going to be ready right away, but the expectation was he'd be ready within the first couple of weeks of the season. Those expectations changed when he started to deal with lower back tightness. It turns out that he'll miss more time than anyone could've expected.

Mets will try to continue to tread water without prized offseason acquisition

Not only will Martinez miss the remaining two games of this homestand, but the six-time All-Star is "very unlikely" to join the team on their upcoming West Coast trip, according to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. That's a major blow.

After this home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York will begin a tough six-game road trip with matchups against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. This Mets offense has been fantastic of late after a very sluggish start, and they did just claw their way back to .500 after an 0-5 start, but looming matchups against a pair of formidable teams on the road in the Dodgers and Giants without a big bat could easily change the vibes surrounding this team.

With Martinez out, DH has been a revolving door for the Mets. DJ Stewart has seen a majority of the at-bats at that position, but New York has used six different players already at DH in Martinez's absence.

Mets fans can only hope he returns home when the Mets take on the Cardinals on Friday, April 26, but it's anyone's best guess at this point. His history of back troubles combined with the fact that he still hasn't done much hitting against live pitching makes a return date tough to pinpoint.