The New York Mets will welcome back outfielder Starling Marte for the wild-card round of the playoffs after the veteran missed a month with a fractured right middle finger.
Marte was in the Mets’ starting lineup for Friday’s wild-card round opener against the San Diego Padres, manning right field and batting in the No. 6 spot after not playing since Sept. 6.
Outfielder Darin Ruf, who has been out since late last month with a neck strain, also will be on the roster. As will rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez, whose only major league experience is five late-season games.
Not included on the wild-card roster is outfielder Tyler Naquin and rookie infielder Mark Vientos.
Marte, 33, came away with a nondisplaced fracture of his right middle finger after he was hit by a 95-mph fastball from Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller on Sept. 6.
Marte batted .292 in his first season with the Mets and had an .814 OPS with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs in 118 games. The 11-year veteran is a career .289 hitter with a .798 OPS and 142 home runs with 565 RBIs in 1,252 games with five different teams.
Ruf, 36, played in 28 games with the Mets after he was acquired from the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline. He batted just .152 and did not hit a home run after batting .216 with 11 home runs in 90 games for the Giants this season.
Naquin, 31, batted .203 in 49 games with the Mets this season after he was traded from the Cincinnati Reds in July.
Vientos, 22, batted .167 over his first 16 career games.
–Field Level Media
