Starling Marte undergoes core muscle surgery

The Mets announced that right fielder Starling Marte underwent surgery to ‘repair a core muscle injury sustained in the second half of the year.’ Marte had been on the shelf since September 7th before being activated for the Mets/Padres Wild Card series with what was described at the time as an oblique injury.

Marte, who will be entering his second year with the Mets, is expected to be playing ‘without restrictions’ in Spring Training. Marte batted .292/.347/.468 with 16 home runs, 24 doubles, five triples, and 18 stolen bases in 118 games for the Mets this season.

The lack of a solid right-handed bat while Marte was injured can be considered one of the many reasons for the Mets’ poor showing at the end of September. Marte, who made the All-Star team in 2022, played mostly right field for the Mets, but would likely shift over to center field if Brandon Nimmo does not re-sign with the team this offseason.