Mets' Starling Marte: 'Good' Chance for Return from Finger Injury Before Playoffs

New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte told reporters Saturday's that there's a "good possibility" he'll return from a finger injury before the postseason begins.

Marte was placed on the 10-day injured list with a partial non-displaced fracture in his right middle finger last weekend.

Marte suffered the injury in a Sept. 6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates when he was hit by a pitch. He remained in the game for another inning to play the field before being removed.

"At first, I felt the pressure of where the pain was going to be, and then when I was out there [in the outfield] I felt like I couldn't throw, and that kind of led me to talk to the team trainer, and at that point they took me," Marte told SNY after the game.

The 33-year-old is in the first year of a four-year, $78 million contract that he signed with the Mets in November 2021. In 118 games, he's hitting .292/.347/.468 with 16 home runs, 63 RBI and 18 stolen bases.

Marte began his career with the Pirates and played for the franchise from 2012-2019, earning two Gold Gloves and an All-Star selection. He then bounced around MLB before finding a home with the Mets, playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics in 2020 and 2021.

Tyler Naquin has filled in for Marte, and while he surely won't have the same success as the veteran, he does bring the franchise some positional versatility in the outfield with the ability to play all three positions.

The Mets have little room for error at this point in the season. They sit first in the NL East with a 91-55 record entering Saturday's game against the Pirates but hold a slim one-game lead over the second-place Atlanta Braves.