Surgical procedure nonetheless an possibility, however Marte hopes to return in ’23

NEW YORK — Upon getting back from a week-long routine of bodily remedy in Philadelphia, Mets outfielder Starling Marte expressed optimism that he can play once more this season, whereas cautioning that he might nonetheless want one other groin surgical procedure an identical to the one he underwent final November.

Marte spent the previous week in Philadelphia working with a lower-leg specialist who has helped skilled athletes together with Tiger Woods and Sidney Crosby. He known as the classes “productive” in serving to him strengthen his decrease physique in ways in which he intends to proceed pursuing with the Mets’ in-house crew of bodily therapists.

But if Marte doesn’t proceed to progress, surgical procedure stays an possibility.

“No matter what happens, you obviously want to avoid surgery,” Marte mentioned by means of an interpreter. “You want to continue to strengthen everything that you need to strengthen. If they feel like surgery is the course to go, that will happen. But the main objective is to go out there comfortable, pain-free and be able to produce for this team.”

Marte, who has been bothered all season by discomfort stemming from scar tissue in his groin, hasn’t performed since Aug. 5 attributable to what the Mets have known as a proper groin pressure. He has acquired two cortisone injections, the second of which got here after a physician in Philadelphia gave him a second opinion that confirmed the pressure.

That prognosis led to Marte’s week-long keep in Philadelphia. He expressed elevated hopefulness following the journey that he can play once more this season.

“As long as we continue to progress the way that we want to progress, and we keep strengthening everything that we need to do, the goal is to go out there and hopefully get back out on the field,” Marte mentioned.

Even when wholesome, Marte has struggled to copy his successes of a 12 months in the past, when he batted .292/.347/.468 with 18 homers over 118 video games. This 12 months, groin points amongst different issues have restricted Marte to 86 video games and a .248/.301/.324 slash line with 5 dwelling runs.

Marte, who will flip 35 subsequent month, stays below assured contract for an additional two years and $41.5 million. The thought of present process one other surgical procedure is “frustrating” to him, contemplating the extent to which it might have an effect on his 2024 season.

“That’s not a good option,” supervisor Buck Showalter mentioned. “Let’s face it, everybody scars down differently. When you go in there to take care of that scar, then there’s [more] scarring behind that. Think of webbing or netting, how it layers over, and everybody layers over differently. Then you’ve got to go through that process again. … So I think he knows how important this attempt is to keep that from happening.”