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New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte has been removed from Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. There hasn’t been a reason given, and the move comes after starting pitcher Max Scherzer was ejected ahead of the fourth inning.
Starling Marte has come out of the game. No word yet as to why.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) April 19, 2023
Prior to leaving the game, Marte had gone 0-for-3 at the plate against former Met Noah Syndergaard. He was replaced by Mark Canha, who took over in left field with Jeff McNeil moving over to right. Marte was acknowledged pre-game for hitting the 10-year service time mark.
Marte has gotten off to a slow start this season. He is only batting .233 (down to .222 after Wednesday) with four doubles, one home run and five RBI. Marte still finds himself toward the top of the New York lineup, giving him plenty of opportunities to make an impact. While we don’t know what the reasoning is yet for his being sidelined if he misses extended time, it stands to reason that Canha would get first cracks at being his replacement. Best case scenario is that this decision was precautionary, and maybe the Mets’ coaching staff wanted to take advantage of something statistical with Canha.