Mets' Starling Marte misses another game with migraine

Starling Marte’s migraines kept him out of his third game in five days, raising a red flag for the Mets, who had their rightfielder see a specialist Wednesday afternoon in hopes of determining the root cause for the violent headaches that have seen Marte vomiting and, at times, unable to tolerate light and sound.

Marte, who’s experienced migraines in the past but not chronically, has suffered two separate migraines in the past few days; the first kept him out of Saturday’s game against the Dodgers and the second, which hit about an hour before first pitch Tuesday, made him a late scratch then and held him from the starting lineup Wednesday.

The cluster of migraines, along with the severity of the symptoms, mean that an injured list stint isn’t out of the question, though manager Buck Showalter said it was too early to determine their next move.

Saturday, Showalter spotted Marte sick in the hall near the clubhouse, with Edwin Diaz crouching near him attempting to help.

Tuesday, “he was hugging a garbage can,” Showalter said. “It was awful.”

Of note, Showalter recalled that Marte, who’s struggled at the plate this season, suffered a near-concussion on April 9 after taking a knee to the head when sliding into third base. He sat out with neck stiffness later that month, as well.

It's still unclear if this, or any other impact he's suffered as the Mets leading base-stealer with 24, is connected to the migraines.

“He’s had them before but not this close,” Showalter said. “We’re going to do some tests and do some things to rule out some things…I know it’s been fashionable for people to critique him. Whatever, it’s part of the gig. But this guy had double [groin] surgery. He had a borderline concussion at third base. He’s had a lot of things physically. When you steal the bases he does, the way he does [that’s the result]. We just want to make sure he’s OK because sometimes these things, from what I understand, could be triggered by something else.”

Showalter added that there was some progress earlier Wednesday: “He can talk without squinting. He’s not sensitive to light and noise at this point. He’s a lot better but you can tell that he’s weak. He’s been vomiting and not able to hold anything down.”

Marte’s partner is also due to give birth toward the end of the month, meaning a stint on the paternity list is in play. Add to that: He's still dealing with lingering soreness from the double-groin surgery he underwent in the offseason, according to a report last week in the Daily News. Compounded, it likely means some more time off down the stretch, regardless of an IL move.

“It’s affecting me more in my hitting,” Marte said through an interpreter then. “I can’t lie and say it’s affecting my running, because that’s not how I feel at the very moment, but at the same time, we’re working every day and we’re doing everything we need to do to make it better.”

The result has been decreased sprint speed — from the 81st percentile in baseball in 2021 to the 44th percentile this year — and decreased production at the plate. He’s slashing .254/.308/.332 this season after hitting .292/.347/.468 and making the All-Star team last year.

That said, potentially losing Marte ahead of a critical Aug. 1 trade deadline makes for some tricky maneuvering.

Mark Canha was a late slot-in Tuesday in right, while Jeff McNeil played there Wednesday as the Mets attempted to improve on their 8-4 record over the last 12 games.

Marte’s absence also strips them of some needed speed and a righthanded bat near the top of the order. Tommy Pham batted in Marte’s No. 2 spot Tuesday, though that had the Mets stacking four straight lefty bats, from the seven spot over back to Brandon Nimmo leading off — something Showalter has generally avoided in the past.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.