4 NY Mets players who could replace Starling Marte if he’s not ready for Opening Day

Could it be? Are the New York Mets about to have an even more clogged IL? Starling Marte is expected to be ready for the start of the season, but we know better than to fully trust things will go smoothly. He has been injured regularly throughout his time in New York even dating back to 2022 when he was an All-Star.

A recent update from Newsday’s Tim Healey didn’t sound so promising with the Mets remaining confident he can be a major leaguer. Should there be a doubt about this?

A caution approach for Marte could have him at least starting the year on the IL if there are any hiccups in spring training. As a result, we’ll need to look at alternatives. If unable to go at the start of the season, one of these four players could replace him.

1) The loser of Luisangel Acuna vs. Brett Baty

If Marte is nixed from the Opening Day roster, the battle between Luisangel Acuna and Brett Baty could extend further into the regular season. Although it’s not given that one of them is guaranteed an Opening Day roster spot, the Mets are reaching if they go in another direction for that last spot on the bench we’ve all wondered about. Nick Madrigal is out of the mix leaving them with two far more fascinating choices.

Remove Marte from the equation and the runner-up might get a chance to prove himself for a little while longer. Although a return of Marte from any IL stint would force the Mets to send whichever player is performing worse down to the minors, at least they’d get a fair enough shake.

This is probably the outcome most Mets fans would prefer to see. However, any of these other players could just as easily bump one (or even both if Marte is healthy) to the minors to begin the year.