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Mark Vientos injury buys NY Mets more time to get most out of declining veteran

ByJohn Wolff|
May 24, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets left fielder Starling Marte (6) sits on the field after getting thrown out at home plate in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
May 24, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets left fielder Starling Marte (6) sits on the field after getting thrown out at home plate in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

There’s a scene in Moneyball where Billy Beane stands across from David Justice in the cage and says, “I’m not paying you for the player you used to be. I’m paying you for the player you are now.” Then he adds, like a mechanic eyeing an aging engine, “I want to milk the last ounce of baseball you’ve got left in you.” Now swap Beane for David Stearns and Justice for Starling Marte, and you’ve got a pretty good read on where the New York Mets are headed. Mark Vientos’ injury didn’t just shake up the lineup, it created a longer window to find out what Marte still has left in the tank.

The Mets now have a critical window to fully leverage Starling Marte’s bat before the crowded lineup makes his role less certain

The 36-year-old Starling Marte is in the final year of his four-year deal, and the NY Mets know better than to expect a full-on resurgence. He’s hitting .224 with a .683 OPS and 14 RBIs across 98 at-bats. The version of Marte that once changed games on the basepaths and sprayed hits across the field is long gone. But a version that still delivers in specific moments? That’s what the Mets are hoping to tap into.

Last season, he hit .313 with a .837 OPS and 31 RBIs in 80 at-bats with runners in scoring position. The Mets don’t need him to carry the offense, they need timely production. If that version of Marte shows up for a few weeks, it could be the difference in a handful of close games.

In the first game after Mark Vientos went down, Marte hit in front of Juan Soto, which could be the Mets’ way of using Soto’s protection to help him see better pitches, especially against a lefty pitcher. He went 1-for-4 with two runs scored, not eye-popping, but exactly the kind of situational value the Mets are hoping to squeeze out of him. With that kind of protection, Marte doesn’t need to carry the load. He needs to keep the line moving, one quality at-bat at a time.

That value will come almost entirely from the DH role. The Mets aren’t asking him to track balls in right field or steal 30 bases. They’re asking him to give them whatever is still in the tank and to do it while the window’s open. Once Vientos returns, and with Ronny Mauricio already on the big-league level, that window might close fast.

There’s no long-term pitch here. This isn’t about rebuilding Marte or reimagining him as some late-career breakout. It’s about opportunity, timing, and squeezing value out of a veteran bat before roster math decides for them. The Mets don’t need Marte to be a star, they need him to be useful for as long as this window stays cracked open. And if they’re going to get something out of him, it has to happen now, while they still can.

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