Injuries have shaken things up a bit with Opening Day getting close
The Mets break camp in less than a week, before traveling to Houston to begin the regular season against the Astros on March 27.
The expectations they had entering spring training remain the same with them about to wrap spring training: compete for the NL East title, make the playoffs, and be a legitimate threat to win the World Series.
New York will be challenged early, though, with a handful of key injuries. And those injuries have altered how their roster will look from the jump.
Here is our 26-man roster prediction 3.0 for Opening Day…
REGULAR LINEUP
Luis Torrens: C
Pete Alonso: 1B
Brett Baty: 2B
Francisco Lindor: SS
Mark Vientos: 3B
Brandon Nimmo: LF
Jose Siri: CF
Juan Soto: RF
Jesse Winker: DH
Two injuries have shaken things up here.
The first is a hand injury to Francisco Alvarez, which will keep him out until at least the end of April — though Alvarez is hopeful he’ll be able to return on the shorter end of the team’s six-to-eight week projection.
In Alvarez’s place as the starter will be Torrens, who knows the pitching staff and should be able to hold things together.The other injury is to Jeff McNeil, who was having a strong spring before going down with a mild oblique issue.
McNeil is only expected to be out until the second or third week of the season, but the Mets will need a regular starter at second base in his stead. And that will be Baty.
Even before McNeil went down, the Mets were getting Baty exposure at second base in addition to third base — in preparation for him potentially landing a role on the bench.
And Baty has excelled — adeptly handling second base while looking very good at the plate. He has earned this shot.
Everything else is as expected as it pertains to the regular position players, including Winker as the designated hitter and Siri as the initial choice to get the bulk of the starts in center field.
STARTING ROTATION
Clay Holmes: RHP
David Peterson: LHP
Kodai Senga: RHP
Griffin Canning: RHP
Tylor Megill: RHP
This is where the most uncertainty is.
New York will begin the season without Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, though Manaea has already resumed throwing and should return at some point in April.
The prognosis isn’t as promising for Montas, who could be back in May but whose next time on a big league mound will likely come in June.
That means added stress on a unit that was already the Mets’ one big question mark when it still had a fully healthy Manaea and Montas.
Holmes, who will start on Opening Day, has been mostly dominant in spring training. So there shouldn’t be much concern about his stuff translating to a starting role. But it’s still fair to wonder about his stamina and how many innings he’ll be able to provide.
Peterson will be looking to build off his strong 2024, while Senga — who has been proceeding deliberately this spring — is attempting to shake off a year mostly lost to injury.
The back end of the rotation will feature Canning (who seems to be benefiting from the Mets’ pitching lab) and Megill (who has yet to find consistency, but has good stuff and some upside).
BULLPEN
Edwin Diaz: CLS
A.J. Minter: LHP
Reed Garrett: RHP
Ryne Stanek: RHP
Jose Butto: RHP
Max Kranick: RHP
Danny Young: LHP
Paul Blackburn: RHP
The Mets’ bullpen should be a strength this season, and it has a chance to be one of the best in baseball if things break right.
Diaz, Minter, Stanek, and Garrett are legitimate late-inning weapons, while Butto and Kranick — who are expected to be able to provide multiple innings at a clip — could be X-factors.
Since Kranick has a minor league option remaining, New York could theoretically have him begin the season in the minors. But with his stuff playing up as he transitions to a full-time relief role and Kranick having been one of the Mets’ most dominant pitchers this spring, it makes no sense to not carry him right away.
Dedniel Núñez will be a huge part of the relief corps this year after missing the end of last season due to injury, but his first game action of the spring didn’t come until March 17. And while Núñez was dominant in that appearance, the guess here is that he’ll need a bit longer to get ready.
That would open the door for the Mets to carry Young, who is out of options and will give New York a second left-hander to go along with Minter.
The final spot in the bullpen will go to Blackburn, who is also out of options and can provide serious length if needed.
BENCH
Tyrone Taylor: OF
Hayden Senger: C
Donovan Walton: INF
Starling Marte: DH/OF
The most interesting thing to watch here is the backup infielder role, though this one seems easy to call.
Luisangel Acuña has been in competition for a bench spot and (recently) the regular second base job with McNeil down for a bit. But unless the Mets think it will benefit them and Acuña for him to be part of a platoon with Baty at second and a bench player the rest of the time, it doesn’t make much sense to carry him.
The better plan is to have Acuña begin the year with Triple-A Syracuse, where he can continue to work on his offense. That would mean a spot on the bench for Walton, who has five years of big league experience as a defense-first backup capable of playing third base, shortstop, second base, and corner outfield.
The rest of the bench will be Taylor or Siri (whoever isn’t starting in center field that day), Senger (who will be the backup in place of Torrens until Alvarez returns), and Marte.
Marte’s inclusion was a bit of a question until recently, with him continuing to deal with a lingering knee issue.
But with Marte’s main role as the short end of a DH platoon, it’s easy to have him on the roster despite his limited mobility.
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