After being limited by the aftereffects of postseason core muscle surgery for most of this year, outfielder Starling Marte didn’t rule out having to undergo the same procedure again if he doesn’t continue to progress from the right groin injury that’s sidelined him for the past month.

Marte and the Mets have been encouraged by some of the improvement he’s made in the last week, when he saw a specialist in Philadelphia to address the issues with his lower body.

But if he doesn’t regain complete health, another procedure could be on the table.

Marte said through an interpreter Sunday the process of undergoing surgery for a second time would be “really frustrating,” because it would impact him in 2024.

He’s still hoping to get back on the field at some point over this final month of the regular season.

“That’s the goal,” Marte said. “It’s something you have to think about, but the goal is to play. You want to avoid surgery and you do everything you can to strengthen [the area], but if they feel surgery is the course to go, that’ll happen. The main objective is to be able to go out there pain-free.”

Marte is in the second season of a four-year, $78 million deal and has seemingly been robbed of his power and speed after displaying both in 2022, when only Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil had better seasons at the plate for the Mets. 

He turns 35 next month and after putting up an OPS of .814 with the Mets a year ago, has just a .625 OPS this season and has played just 86 games.

Buck Showalter said with the way Marte has improved of late there’s a “potential [surgery] won’t be an option.”

But the manager acknowledged surgery is “not a good option.”

Marte is already dealing with scar tissue from the previous procedure.

“I think he knows how important this [rehab] attempt is to keep it from happening again,’’ Showalter said. “It seems to be working. We’ll see.”

And of being able to play games before the end of this season, as well as fully healthy going into next year, Showalter said, “I think there’s the potential to do both, we hope.”