Back from bone bruise, Marte ready to contribute

NEW YORK -- After missing two months of the season because of a right-knee bone bruise, Mets right fielder Starling Marte was activated from the 10-day injured list and inserted into the starting lineup on Sunday afternoon against the Marlins.

Marte is expected to play often, but will get an occasional day off while players such as Jesse Winker and Tyrone Taylor see time in the outfield.

“[Marte] is going to be a big part of this team just like he has been the last couple of years, especially when he is healthy and producing,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He is going to be right there, but at the same time, we have to be smart. We have to protect him.”

Before the injury, Marte was one of the team’s best players, going 68-for-245 (.278) with seven home runs, 30 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He said he will not have any restrictions as far as stealing bases is concerned.

“The team has been successful since I’ve been out,” Marte said. “Everybody needs a chance to play. The manager is doing the best for the team. Right now, we are competing for the playoffs. Everybody needs a chance to play.”

Marte still doesn’t know how he hurt the knee. He tried to play through it. In fact, he had a slash line of .351/.413/.509 in his final 16 games before he was placed on the IL. He felt so good when the season started, he was planning to play all 162 games.

“I was playing so hard on the field and the injury still happened. We don’t know when it happened. We just continued to play hard, “ Marte said. “It’s frustrating when you put in all that work and all that effort to play 162 games. Things just happened on the field that you can’t really control. It’s disappointing, but you have to continue to be positive and thankful for the opportunity and just help the team as much as you possibly can.”