We’ve been waiting nearly a month to see Mets outfielder Starling Marte back in game action. He missed most of the last month-plus of 2022 with a fractured finger. His offseason also wasn’t normal because of core surgery.
The 2022 All-Star was penciled in to get his first taste of Grapefruit League debut. It’s safe to say he’s made it count. Marte finished things with a bang by slugging this two-run homer:
STARLING MARTE IS SO BACK. pic.twitter.com/ic6IK2rXm4
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 10, 2023
The right-handed hitter stepped up to the plate for his initial at-bat in the first inning. It resulted in this line drive double down the left-field line:
Starling Marte gets a double in his first at-bat in the spring ? pic.twitter.com/udq6FiKuZK
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 10, 2023
It’s like the dude has been hitting all winter. But in reality, he didn’t see a live pitch until stepping foot on the field in Port St. Lucie last month.
There’s no way to overstate how important Marte is to the Mets’ lineup heading into 2023. When he hit the injured list in September with that fractured finger, his presence was immediately missed. Who knows how things would’ve finished for New York if he wasn’t on the shelf?
Manager Buck Showalter mostly penciled Starling Marte into the second spot of the lineup last year behind fellow outfielder, Brandon Nimmo. Speaking of him, Nimmo is possibly making his spring debut this weekend. It’ll be nice to start seeing these two set the table at the top again on a daily basis.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
