Other than June’s traditional place as the month in which the standings initially become relevant, the first month of summer also brings us the first trade-deadline whispers.

The Mets will need help — probably even more than general manager Billy Eppler could have envisioned when assembling this $370 million roster last winter.

As has been witnessed over the first 57 games this season, this is a team without a true strength. It will likely leave Eppler and his staff on the lookout for improvements in all areas between now and the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

If you were prioritizing the Mets’ needs at the moment, you would start with the rotation, only because that unit has been the most glaringly disappointing, and Jose Quintana hasn’t yet thrown his first pitch for the team.

The Mets are hopeful the left-hander will return from the injured list in July and pitch to his career numbers, but neither is a given as Quintana rehabs from a bone graft after he sustained a stress fracture on a rib in spring training. A lesion was detected on the rib, prompting the surgery.

Maybe Quintana becomes a trade-deadline acquisition of sorts, but let’s see how Carlos Carrasco — who has been superb in his last two starts — is going after the All-Star break and whether Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are holding up physically.

The bare minimum would probably be finding a Trevor Williams-type who could shuffle between Triple-A and the major leagues and provide insurance in a way that David Peterson and Tylor Megill for the most part haven’t this season.

If the need extends beyond that — we are going to assume for the purposes of this exercise the Angels aren’t trading Shohei Ohtani — could the Mets persuade the Guardians to trade them Shane Bieber?

The Cubs are also worth watching, with names such as Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly and Kyle Hendricks potentially available. On the other side of Chicago, the White Sox are reeling, and Lucas Giolito is an impending free agent. The Giants are teetering in the NL West, and have a pair of Alexes (Cobb and Wood) who could be helpful.

Any talk of upgrading the bullpen likely starts with trying to land another team’s closer, allowing David Robertson to shift into the role for which he was signed, as a setup man.

Maybe Edwin Diaz will return late in the season from the patellar tendon surgery he underwent in spring training, but the Mets certainly can’t count on that.

Diaz’s younger brother Alexis should be a person of interest. The Reds are hanging around in the diluted NL Central, but we’ll see how long that lasts.

If the Mets want to venture into the pure rental direction, the Red Sox are reeling and Kenley Jansen is as battle-tested as anybody.

Aroldis Chapman, who is thriving with the underwhelming Royals, should be available. Emmanuel Clase (Guardians) and Camilo Doval (Giants) are among the better young closers (along with Diaz) pitching for possible non-contenders.

Adding some offensive help is never a bad idea either.

Mark Vientos could receive a shot at showing he’s a capable DH option from the right side.

If that doesn’t materialize and the Blue Jays continue to sputter, could Matt Chapman, in the final year of his contract, become an option? Cody Bellinger, playing for the Cubs, has rediscovered his stroke and could be that option from the left side (Bellinger is currently sidelined due to a left knee injury).

It’s early. Plenty of names will be mentioned over the next two months. But make no mistake: trade-deadline season is here.

Omar Narvaez’s anticipated return from the injured list Tuesday will leave the Mets facing a potentially tough roster decision.

Francisco Alvarez will obviously stay, so will the team carry three catchers or unload Tomas Nido, who doesn’t have minor league options remaining?

The fact the Mets have gotten to this point only underscores that team officials didn’t expect the 21-year-old Alvarez to emerge this quickly, otherwise they would have passed on signing Narvaez as a free agent last winter, or at the very least decided against giving the arbitration-eligible Nido a two-year contract.

Give Alvarez credit for seizing the opportunity presented to him and showing he’s major league ready.

The Mets could very well decide to carry three catchers, but that might entail a commitment to giving Narvaez at-bats as a lefty DH — despite his poor offensive showing last season.

Also, carrying a third catcher would require clearing roster space. That would mean trimming a reliever — probably not a good idea — or moving on from Daniel Vogelbach, Eduardo Escobar, Mark Canha or Tommy Pham.

Offensively, Nido isn’t an upgrade over any of those players, but it’s possible the team values him enough for his defense to find a spot for him.

There is always the possibility an injury will emerge that would allow the Mets to delay their decision, but at the moment it appears an interesting dilemma is looming.

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Buck Showalter has mentioned on multiple occasions that baseball’s future will probably include six pitchers in a starting rotation.

On some level that idea would make sense, perhaps restoring a manager’s confidence in allowing a starter to work deeper into games.

But are teams really all that excited about reducing the number of starts for their better pitchers so a sixth starter could be inserted into the mix?

The Mets have employed a sixth starter on two occasions this season, allowing Kodai Senga to receive extra rest, and may go in that direction again Sunday, which would be the Japanese right-hander’s turn in the rotation.

It’s here that David Peterson’s regression this season has most been felt.

Peterson’s ability to step in last season and help keep the Mets competitive with pitchers such as Jacob deGrom and Scherzer sidelined was a significant component in the team’s 101-win season.

The Peterson of last year pitching as the sixth starter this season wouldn’t even raise a question about his trustworthiness. But, as his 8.08 ERA would indicate, that hasn’t been the case this year.

Senga will have to pitch on normal rest at some point. The time may have finally arrived.