Mets Notes: Starling Marte ‘slow’ in his recovery, a day off for J.D. Martinez

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza offered a number of key injury updates on Sunday morning ahead of his club’s first-half finale versus the Colorado Rockies.

Here are the key points…

No reason to worry about J.D. Martinez

Mets fans may have been taken aback to see that Martinez was not penciled in to his typical designated hitter slot for Sunday’s game, but Mendoza put any worries to rest by saying that the veteran is doing just fine, physically.

“He’s fine. It’s probably one of those stretches where he’s off a little bit mechanically,” Mendoza said. “I just said ‘Maybe tomorrow, take the day, maybe be ready for a pinch-hit situation, and go into the break and be ready to go the first day in Miami.’ Physically, he’s fine.”

While the veteran slugger has proven to be a fantastic addition to the Mets’ lineup, he has struggled at the plate of late, slashing .179/.324/.286 with 22 strikeouts over his last 15 games.

Starling Marte‘s recovering not moving as quickly as anticipated

While imaging shows that the outfielder bone bruise in his right knee is improving, Mendoza said on Sunday that Marte’s recovery is a bit “slow,” and that the team still has no timeline for a return as they wait for him to be pain-free before he starts baseball activities.

“Slow still,” Mendoza said. “The imaging shows improvement, like I’ve said, but his recovering is taking a slower pace here. So, we’re not sure when he’ll be back, but we want to make sure he’s pain free when he’s doing all of the activities that he’s doing.”

Sean Reid-Foley still moving in the right direction

After throwing a bullpen on Saturday, Reid-Foley is scheduled to throw another bullpen in Florida on Tuesday and then either an additional bullpen or a live batting practice session on Friday.

Reid-Foley has been out since June 22 with a right shoulder impingement.