Epic slump from Mets slugger is enough to reconsider his playing time

The last time J.D. Martinez had a hit for the New York Mets was back on September 9. It doesn’t seem long ago unless you look at your calendar then freak out about how we’re already at September 21. A single in the Monday opener against the Toronto Blue Jays was only the third time since coming back from paternity leave where Martinez drilled any sort of hit. There have been a couple of hard hit balls including a home run robbery in Philadelphia last weekend.

Alas, nothing is finding ground. Now 0 for 31, this epic slump where he has had a chance to face plenty of lefties this week alone is enough to sit him on the bench when the time calls for it.

How should the Mets handle J.D. Martinez?

There are always two ways of thinking about a slump. Sometimes a guy needs to sit down. The other is for him to hit his way out of it. Martinez’s batting average has dropped from .252 down to .235 in this stretch. A guy paid to do nothing more than hit (he does the coaching for free) who doesn’t hit has very little use to the Mets right now. The Mets have tried giving him time to correct things. We may be nearing a straight platoon with him and Jesse Winker.

Only because the Mets have faced a lot of lefties lately has Winker been on the bench more. In a bit of a slump himself, he is 3 for 33 in September. Martinez has actually played in 3 fewer games but with more at-bats because he plays a complete game or near it when he does start, his slump has garnered much more attention.

Swapping Winker for Martinez is becoming far more reasonable. It doesn’t change much at all with the rest of the team. We still get Brandon Nimmo in left field and center field every once in a while. Starling Marte is unaffected in right field with the lone disadvantage being he doesn’t get a day as the DH. Harrison Bader gets the bulk of starts in center field with Tyrone Taylor getting sprinkled in plenty. Taylor has been one of their hottest hitters all month.

The Mets face another Philadelphia Phillies lefty on Saturday then get a “break” with Zack Wheeler on Sunday night when, if the hitless streak continues, we could see Martinez get the start off. The only lefty scheduled to pitch for the Atlanta Braves is Chris Sale which doesn’t exactly give Martinez much help.

In these final days of the 2024 regular season, a lot needs to be discussed. Keep your players healthy, sure. But also make sure you have the best available ones out there on the field at any given point.

And for crying out loud, someone check to see if Martinez needs a nanny or just one good night’s sleep where he doesn’t frantically wake up thinking his baby needs him. Hitting a fastball is tough. Getting through the first three months with a newborn with your sanity is tougher. They never throw a meatball down the middle.