Mets outfielder Starling Marte is dealing with a bone inflammation in his right knee that will require him to rest for 15 days, per multiple reports.
Marte left Saturday's loss to the Chicago Cubs with what the team called right knee soreness and did not play Sunday.
Marte told reporters after the game on Saturday that he had been dealing with the issue over the past few weeks. The right fielder had been in and out of the lineup recently, missing a game in the Padres series the previous week, in addition to limiting the games he played on artificial surfaces, missing one in London and one in Texas.
The 35-year-old experienced some lingering soreness after Friday's series opener in Chicago but expected the pain to alleviate after treatment. When his knee continued to bother him on Saturday, he decided it was best to exit in the second inning.
"It's one of those things where one day it's better and other days not so much, but it's something we've been battling with, and today was just one of those days where it just hurt more than most days," Marte said Saturday through an interpreter.
Marte was originally optimistic that the knee issue would not require him to be sidelined for too long, but the knee will be something the Mets will have to continue treating.
"You want the results to come back negative because then we can just kind of get a different plan of action to be able to get back on the field, because at the end of the day that is my goal," he said. "But at the same time, we have to see what's going on with those tests because I don't want to be out for a considerable amount of time, especially with the team playing so well."
After putting up an All-Star season in his first year with the Mets in 2022, Marte required offseason surgery to his groin. Unfortunately, the veteran did not bounce back from the procedure and had a very poor year while he was limited to just 86 games and produced a career-low .625 OPS.
The Mets planned to be more cautious with him this year, giving him additional rest, but his play had been so consistent that it had been tough to keep him out of the lineup. Marte had been one of the most consistent batters through 66 games, slashing .278/.328/.416 for a .745 OPS and 117 OPS+.