Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for Starling Marte, they did.
A woeful season for the Mets outfielder took another turn on Tuesday when Marte was scratched with a migraine before the opener of a three-game series against the White Sox.
But that was just the start of Marte’s headaches: manager Buck Showalter said the 34-year-old veteran was vomiting repeatedly when he went to check on him after the game.
“[The migraine] part of it has gotten a lot better and gone away. He’s still pretty weak, he threw up a lot,” Showalter said before the Mets hosted the White Sox on Wednesday. “I went back there to see him yesterday, and he was hugging a garbage can. So we’ll see how the day progresses. He’s better today, not available to start.”
Marte, who was suffering from his second migraine in the span of a week, saw a specialist on Wednesday to “cross some things off,” Showalter said.
For the speedy outfielder, who owns just a .640 OPS this season (his career OPS is .789), the migraine and subsequent stomach issues are another episode in a season during which he has found sparing success.
Marte signed a four-year, $78 million contract prior to the 2022 season, then compiled a .814 OPS with 16 homers and 18 stolen bases over 118 games.
Showalter said he knows Marte has been the target of considerable criticism this season, as the Mets have undershot expectations and entered Wednesday just 44-50 and ng 17 ¹/₂ games out of the division lead and eight games out of a wild-card spot.
“It’s been fashionable, I’m sure, for people to critique him, whatever, it’s part of the gig,” Showalter said. “This guy had the whole hernia surgery, borderline concussion at third base, a lot of things physically when you steal the bases that he does and the way that he does. So we just want to make sure that he’s okay.”
Marte, who had stolen 24 bases under MLB’s new rules this season, but had a slash line of just .254/.308/.332 with five home runs entering Wednesday, collided with Jean Segura in a scary scene at third base in April and also underwent hernia surgery to repair a torn muscle in November.
Showalter did not rule out Marte being available off the bench on Wednesday, but said “he would have to make some improvements” to be in that position.