You're not alone if the NY Mets starting lineup choices have you flummoxed

The saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” need not enter the conversation for tonight’s New York Mets starting lineup. Fans were flummoxed to see Luisangel Acuna on the bench and Starling Marte as the DH batting fourth. A narrow victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks where the offense was powered almost exclusively by Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso wasn’t enough to convince the Mets to do much of anything differently. In fact, the only change is moving McNeil up in the order one spot and moving Francisco Alvarez down.

The continued absence of Acuna as an everyday option at second base is what has fans upset most. The April NL Rookie of the Month has been an exciting and productive player. With Jesse Winker out, there’s even more room for them to force McNeil into the lineup. Why not start him in left field and let Brandon Nimmo DH? After all, Marte remains one of the weaker hitters on the roster and hitting in the cleanup spot adds to the head scratching decision.

Exactly why is Starling Marte playing DH again and batting fourth for the Mets again?

Marte has been better against right-handed pitchers this year but that’s not saying a lot. He’s only slashing .195/.306/.317 against them in 49 plate appearances. A guy known to have a preference for hitting in one particular spot in the order without much change has been given four chances already to hit cleanup for the Mets this season. The results have been incredibly poor, going 2 for 16.

He hasn’t been any better batting fifth either. Marte is 1 for 25 in that spot in the order. Then there’s the more appropriate place to put him. Batting sixth, Marte is 7 for 15.

In the absence of Winker, the Mets haven’t been quick to give Brett Baty an opportunity nor have they taken advantage of McNeil’s defensive flexibility. It’s the perfect excuse to give Nimmo or Soto a half-day and put the best team on the field both offensively and defensively.

The Marte exhaustion isn’t going away anytime soon. Apparently, the Marte exhaustion isn’t going away anytime soon. On a cold streak that has seen his batting average dip down to .167 on April 15 and bounce around a little to end up right back there again prior to his two hits on Sunday, he has proven himself to be the worst-case scenario in 2025. One defensive start that lasted 5 innings has assured us of his limitations as a complete player. That’s not to say anyone is eager to see him play the field. When he was out there last year, he was one of the worst defensive players in baseball last season.

Decisions like this are the ones that tend to end up in one extreme or the other. Fans are either pleasantly surprised or proven correct for having their doubts. Marte’s presence as the number four hitter is perplexing on any day let alone twice in a row when he hasn’t executed there. A bit short handed at the moment, the number four spot should belong to Nimmo and no one else right now whenever the Mets play a right-handed starter. Against a lefty, it’s Mark Vientos. Let Marte battle in the latter part of the lineup where he has actually been good.