New York Mets DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Oakland Athletics starter Paul Blackburn allowed six runs on seven hits in four innings of work during Sunday's 7-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles. He struck out five batters while issuing one walk. The long ball killed Blackburn in this one as he gave up three home runs in the contest. The 30-year-old started the season with three straight scoreless outings and garnered streaming appeal in the process, but he has now given up 13 runs over his last three appearances. Blackburn will face the Miami Marlins in his next projected start, which is an appealing matchup, but he is tough to trust right now.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez will retreat to the bench on Sunday for the series finale against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Martinez didn't make his 2024 debut with the Mets until Friday night after signing with the club late in spring training and then suffering a back injury while getting ramped up at extended spring training. The 36-year-old veteran right-handed went 3-for-8 in his first two games with an RBI, but he also struck out five times. The Mets plan on easing Martinez back into the fold, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's on the bench in only his third game back. With Martinez starting on the bench, DJ Stewart will serve as the team's designated hitter and bat cleanup against Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn. The 30-year-old lefty hitter isn't a bad low-cost DFS option on Sunday in the cleanup spot. He's hitting .200 (9-for-45) on the year with three homers and 11 RBI.

The New York Mets have placed outfielder Starling Marte on the bereavement list while infielder Mark Vientos has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take his spot on the active roster. The 35-year-old has been off to a hot start this season, hitting .288 with four home runs, six stolen bases, and a .769 OPS across 111 trips to the plate, good for a 119 wRC+ that sits 19% above the league average. Marte plummeted down draft boards after a 2023 season that saw him hit .248 with only five homers alongside 24 stolen bases and a .625 OPS across 86 games in 2023, by far the worst offensive season of his career. However, he has rewarded managers who bet on a bounce back in drafts this spring.

New York Mets outfielders Harrison Bader and Starling Marte are both out of Saturday's lineup. As a result, Tyrone Taylor will play in center field and bat seventh, and DJ Stewart will man right field and bat fifth. Bader has put up a solid .267 AVG during his first month in Queens but will get a breather since he has not registered a hit in his past three games. Marte, who has been off to a great start with a .288 AVG and four home runs, will miss his first game of the season. Both Taylor and Stewart have a tough matchup today as they will face Sonny Gray, who enters Saturday with a dominant 1.04 ERA and 0.87 WHIP, and both will be popular fades in DFS.

New York Mets right-hander Tylor Megill (shoulder) is scheduled to start a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday and throw two innings for High-A Brooklyn. Megill is getting close to returning to the big leagues while recovering from a right-shoulder strain that he suffered during his season debut on March 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 28-year-old will probably need more than one rehab start before the Mets activate him from the injured list. When fully healthy, Megill should have a spot in New York's starting rotation, making him worth a deep-league pickup for pitching depth. He ended up making 25 starts for the Mets in 2023 and held a 4.70 ERA (4.96 FIP) and 1.57 WHIP with a career-high 105 strikeouts and 58 walks in 126 1/3 innings pitched.