Mets say Starling Marte will be ready for spring training after core muscle surgery

PHILADELPHIA — Starling Marte had surgery on a core muscle this week but is expected “to be without restriction” in spring training, the Mets announced on Thursday. 

He had the operation Tuesday in Philadelphia. The Mets declined to specify which muscle required repairing, but they estimated that a typical recovery takes eight weeks. That would put Marte on track to be fully healthy right before the New Year. He’ll have another month-plus before needing to show up to spring training. 

This injury was related to the left groin issue that plagued Marte from mid-July onward, according to the team. The Mets described it as “sustained in the second half of this season,” having occurred on a play in which Marte slowed himself down with his foot as he slid into second base. 

Marte also dealt with a hamstring problem early in the season and a broken right middle finger (the result of getting hit by a pitch) in September. He made a surprise return from the latter for the Mets’ abbreviated postseason appearance, playing through pain when swinging and throwing. 

Despite the variety of physical issues, Marte had a successful first season with the Mets, hitting .292 with a .347 OBP and .468 slugging percentage — and proving adept at rightfield, a position at which he previously had minimal experience. His 18 steals, however, represented the lowest full-season total of his career. 

Marte, 34, has three years remaining on the four-year, $78 million contract he signed with the Mets last offseason.

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.