Where each Mets outfielder fits when Starling Marte returns from the IL

A logjam is coming to the New York Mets outfield. Once Starling Marte is back from the IL, the team will have to decide how to mix and match a surplus of outfielders on the roster.

Assuming Ben Gamel is the odd man out—and he should be—there are still plenty of choices for manager Carlos Mendoza to put into the three outfield spots. Some will be affected more than others. What’s the best solution for each player?

Starling Marte

Play him every day against lefties. Give him a weekday and weekend off from the starting lineup when applicable. Make sure he stays healthy as long as the others are producing. Marte should never finish a game defensively. Hand him a day here and there as the DH as long as his bat is sizzling when J.D. Martinez could use a breather.

Brandon Nimmo

Give Brandon Nimmo a day out of the starting lineup on an as needed basis. Use him pretty much exactly how he has been all year. He shouldn’t be affected much by the logjam. Left field is his home. Center field is a friend’s apartment he has the keys to.

Harrison Bader

Reverse splits tell us to let Harrison Bader start against righties. But when does he get the days off? Bader is one of the trickier players to know what to do with. Giving him two or three days off per week but always having him available to pinch hit or come in for defense in the final innings is a good way to keep him in the box score.

Jesse Winker

Sit Jesse Winker against lefties always. Start him against righties as much as possible. Pinch hit for him when opponents throw a lefty reliever his way. Never let him finish a game defensively. Consider him the left-handed version of Marte but with maybe a few more instances of getting pinch run for. Marte can still fly. Winker is a good candidate to have taken out in the eighth for Tyrone Taylor.

Tyrone Taylor

A bench player who has earned more playing time, let Tyrone Taylor float around and be mostly a right field substitute and occasional starter. On days when Marte or Winker DH, have him out in right field. His reverse splits suggest he is better off against right-handed pitchers, but the same is true for Bader. Winker has the better track record against righties, too. Taylor will be the unfortunate one to lose the most playing time.

Jeff McNeil

It’s worth mentioning Jeff McNeil only because he has been playing a lot of right field in Marte’s absence. Well, not as much anymore. The return of Marte only affects him because it means one less situation where they can start Jose Iglesias. Easy solution: always start Iglesias against lefties and maybe sometimes against righties over Mark Vientos.

A classic “good problem to have,” the key will be to know who to start and when to replace each outfielder in the game. There weren’t be many games where only nine different men come to the plate.