What Starling Marte’s impending return may mean for Mets’ outfield rotation

Starling Marte’s impending return has created questions for Carlos Mendoza and the Mets.

Questions about the outfielder’s role.

Questions about how the Mets will handle a very crowded outfield.

Questions about how they plan to value offense versus defense as the calendar nears September.

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One thing feels certain: Marte, expected to be activated on Sunday for the series finale against the Marlins after playing full games for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday and Friday, is going to play.

“He’s a big part of this team. His bat, his speed, there’s a lot. His presence on the lineup, the experience obviously,” Mendoza said on Saturday before the Mets blanked the Marlins, 4-0, at Citi Field. “He’s been in this league for a long time and had a pretty good career and we missed him. The fact that we’re getting a healthy Marte here, especially where we are in the schedule, is going to be huge for our team.”

Mendoza said the Mets have a plan for how they want to work Marte in, but he didn’t want to disclose it until speaking to Marte about it (he didn’t arrive until midway through the win).

The team also plans to ease him in, after such a long layoff of seven weeks. Mendoza did say “there’s a good chance” Marte is in the lineup on Sunday.

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Marte, 35, was having a solid season offensively before going on the injured list with a right knee bone bruise on June 25.

He was hitting .278/.328/.416 with a .745 OPS in 245 at-bats. He also had 12 stolen bases in as many opportunities.

But his defense was shaky, the veteran producing an Outs Above Average of minus-9.

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At least against right-handers, it’s likely the Mets will have to move Brandon Nimmo into center field — he has mostly played left field this year — and surround him with Jesse Winker and Marte, neither of whom are quality defenders.

Harrison Bader, by far the Mets best outfielder, is likely only going to play against southpaws and as a late-game defensive replacement.

It could also cut into the playing time of either Jeff McNeil or Jose Iglesias, since there wouldn’t be room in one of the corner outfield spots for McNeil, whom the Mets have used out there against southpaws.

Some of the aforementioned players will have to make sacrifices.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll have those conversations with some of the guys,” Mendoza said. “But at the end of the day, they’re going to get their at-bats, they’re going to get the playing time. It’ll be a rotation, I’m pretty sure.”

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