New York Mets right fielder Starling Marte was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a bone bruise in his right knee and will miss at least one month.
The move, which was retroactive to Sunday, came after testing on Marte’s ailing knee Monday detected the bruise. It marks the eighth time he’s been on the IL since 2016.
In a corresponding move, the Mets called up outfielder Ben Gamel from Triple-A Syracuse ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the New York Yankees.
Marte, 35, left Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning after missing three games earlier this month with knee pain.
Marte won’t participate in baseball activities for at least two weeks and will be re-examined at that point. A best-case scenario would be a return in late July.
“We’ve been very careful with him, giving him a couple days off,” New York manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters before Tuesday night’s game against the New York Yankees. “But it got to a point … that we needed to take care of it.”
In 66 games this season, Marte is hitting .278 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs. In 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2012-20), Arizona Diamondbacks (2020), Miami Marlins (2020-21), Oakland Athletics (2021) and Mets, Marte is a .287 hitter with 154 homers and 623 RBIs.
Marte is a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner and is the active leader in the major leagues with 350 stolen bases.
Gamel, 32, joined the Mets on a minor league deal this season and is hitting .314 with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 45 games at Syracuse. An eight-year major league veteran, Gamel is a .252 hitter with 40 homers and 200 RBIs with six teams.
–Field Level Media