New York Mets' Superstar Unlikely to Return on Sunday
The New York Mets' offense is in need of a kick start, but don't expect their new star slugger to rejoin the team when he is eligible to return on Sunday.
The New York Mets' offense has struggled immensely since the 2024 season began, and they are clearly in need of a boost.
However, they are going to need to wait a bit longer for their newest addition to join the team, as All-Star DH slugger J.D. Martinez is unlikely to be activated when eligible on Sunday, as manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters on Thursday.
“We’re getting close. We’ve got to make a decision, because he’s getting close to joining one of our affiliates in the minor leagues, whether that’s Syracuse, Binghamton, or Port St. Lucie, and that could come as soon as tomorrow, So, we’ve still got to talk to him and go from there,” Mendoza said.
The plan is for Martinez to begin a minor league assignment as soon as Friday before the Mets bring him up to the big-leagues. This means Martinez could be back with the Mets by their series with the Atlanta Braves next week.
“I don’t anticipate Sunday, which is his first day that he is able to come up, to be that day. Hopefully it’s in Atlanta, but still fluid. The biggest thing is we’ve got to get him to join one of our affiliates, and that could happen as soon as tomorrow," Mendoza said.
The Mets signed Martinez to a one-year, $12 million deal on March 23, but he was not ready to start the season with the team due to a lack of at-bats, as a result of missing spring training.
“He’s getting a lot of at-bats, he’s feeling good, and now we’ve got to take it to the next step.”
Martinez, 36, is coming off a monstrous campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was an All-Star and slashed .271/.321/.572 with a .893 OPS, 33 home runs, 103 RBIs and a 135 wRC+ in just 113 games.
The Mets' lineup has yet to find their footing in the early part of this season, and the hope is that Martinez will help get things going once he joins the team. It sounds like Martinez could meet the Mets in Atlanta next week, which would be huge for the club.
