PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 19: Manager Buck Showalter #11 of the New York Mets watches batting practice before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 19, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Mets defeated the Phillies 7-2 (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
The New York Mets play host to the San Diego Padres in a Wild Card series which begins on Friday. The roster is set for the team from Queens.
The Mets had some tough decisions to make prior to their Wild Card series against the Padres, the first of which was who should start Game 1?
In the end, Max Scherzer deserved that call and got it. As for Game 2, Chris Bassitt will get the call, as the Mets are already planning for the NLDS. Overconfident, much? If there is a deciding Game 3, Jacob deGrom will pitch — but New York would rather it not get that far.
New York’s Wild Card roster dropped on Friday afternoon. Here are the three biggest surprises as we see them.
Mets roster surprises: Starling Marte
Give Buck Showalter and Co. credit, they sure made it seem like Marte wasn’t going to make the Wild Card roster.
Marte suffered a finger injury in early September and hasn’t made an official comeback since. In fact, he reportedly had trouble gripping a bat or baseball as recently as last week. How the hell is this guy supposed to play a game predicated on both of those things?
“I’m never going to say never,” Showalter said Wednesday. “… You can’t swing a bat, you can’t throw a ball, it’s going to be hard.”
Yet, here we are. It’s unknown exactly how the Mets will employ Marte. He could be used as a pinch hitter, pinch runner or defensive replacement. Marte has experience playing center field and right field, so he’s a capable defender at both positions.
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