QUEENS, NY — New York Mets designated hitter JD Martinez was given the day off on Sunday — the team’s final game before the All-Star break — to give him even more time to reset things.
The 36-year-old veteran slugger has slowed down as of late following a ridiculous stretch in mid-June where he single-handedly carried the Mets’ offense. Over his last 15 games, he is batting .179 with a .609 OPS, one home run, six RBI, and 22 strikeouts.
“He’s fine. It’s one of those stretches where he’s off a little bit mechanically,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “So we said take the day, be ready for a pinch-hit situation, and then go into the break and be ready to go in Miami.”
Latest on Reid-Foley
Reliever Sean-Reid Foley is scheduled to throw either a second bullpen or a live batting practice session on Friday after “feeling good,” following a bullpen session on Saturday, per Mendoza.
The 28-year-old has been sidelined since June 22 with a right shoulder impingement — a similar injury that pushed his 2024 season debut back to April 22.
Senga keeps building up
New York’s ace, Kodai Senga, made his third rehab start on Sunday, throwing 66 pitches in 4.2 innings of work with Triple-A Syracuse. He allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
The 31-year-old right-hander was sidelined in spring training because of a right-shoulder injury and has had to contend with setbacks which ultimately pushed his season debut back after the All-Star break. But he is on the precipice of a return, which will allow the Mets to deploy a six-man rotation for the second half of the season.
“It’s that build-up,” Mendoza said on Sunday morning before Senga’s outing. “Hopefully, he gives us four, five innings. It’s just him getting up to that pitch count and see how he responds tomorrow and the next day so we can make a call on what’s next for him.”
Marte taking things slow
Starling Marte’s progress from a knee injury has been incremental since being placed on the injured list on June 25, but not significant enough for him to resume baseball activities as of yet.
“It’s slow still,” Mendoza said. “The imaging shows that there is improvement but he’s recovering. I think he’s taking a little bit of a slower pace here. We’re not sure when he’ll be back but we want to make sure that he’s pain-free when he’s doing all the activities that he’s going to do.”
Much of the last two seasons have been derailed by injuries for Marte, who was an All-Star two years ago in his first season in New York. He was limited to just 86 games in 2023 after complications from double groin surgery, a neck injury, and migraine issues.
With that recent history, the nagging issues from the bone bruise dictate that there is only one speed the Mets could take before entertaining the thought of getting their right fielder back.
“It’s more about how he tolerates the pain,” Mendoza said. “Once he gets to where he’s pain-free, then we’ll start to wrap him up but I don’t think there’s anything scheduled for that.”
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