Surgery still an option, but Marte hopes to return in '23

NEW YORK -- Upon returning from a week-long regimen of physical therapy in Philadelphia, Mets outfielder Starling Marte expressed optimism that he can play again this season, while cautioning that he could still need another groin surgery identical to the one he underwent last November.

Marte spent the past week in Philadelphia working with a lower-leg specialist who has helped professional athletes including Tiger Woods and Sidney Crosby. He called the sessions “productive” in helping him strengthen his lower body in ways that he intends to continue pursuing with the Mets’ in-house team of physical therapists.

But if Marte doesn’t continue to progress, surgery remains an option.

“No matter what happens, you obviously want to avoid surgery,” Marte said through an interpreter. “You want to continue to strengthen everything that you need to strengthen. If they feel like surgery is the course to go, that will happen. But the main objective is to go out there comfortable, pain-free and be able to produce for this team.”

Marte, who has been bothered all season by discomfort stemming from scar tissue in his groin, hasn’t played since Aug. 5 due to what the Mets have called a right groin strain. He has received two cortisone injections, the second of which came after a doctor in Philadelphia gave him a second opinion that confirmed the strain.

That diagnosis led to Marte’s week-long stay in Philadelphia. He expressed increased hopefulness following the trip that he can play again this season.

“As long as we continue to progress the way that we want to progress, and we keep strengthening everything that we need to do, the goal is to go out there and hopefully get back out on the field,” Marte said.

Even when healthy, Marte has struggled to replicate his successes of a year ago, when he batted .292/.347/.468 with 18 homers over 118 games. This year, groin issues among other concerns have limited Marte to 86 games and a .248/.301/.324 slash line with five home runs.

Marte, who will turn 35 next month, remains under guaranteed contract for another two years and $41.5 million. The idea of undergoing another surgery is “frustrating” to him, considering the extent to which it could affect his 2024 season.

“That’s not a good option,” manager Buck Showalter said. “Let’s face it, everybody scars down differently. When you go in there to take care of that scar, then there’s [more] scarring behind that. Think of webbing or netting, how it layers over, and everybody layers over differently. Then you’ve got to go through that process again. … So I think he knows how important this attempt is to keep that from happening.”