New York Mets DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (shoulder) threw his first bullpen session on Tuesday. It's a significant step forward for Senga, who is recovering from a right posterior shoulder capsule strain. With the Mets having him pitch every six days instead of every five however, Senga's ramp-up process could extend a bit longer than expected. The 31-year-old All-Star right-hander is eligible to come off the 60-day injured list on May 27, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be available until early June at best based on the way the team is handling their ace's recovery. Right-hander Jose Butto is helping fill in New York's rotation for the time being, allowing just one run with 15 strikeouts over 12 innings (two starts) to begin the 2024 season. Butto should be an adequate streamer in favorable situations, but Saturday's scheduled start on the road against a vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers lineup is not one of them.

The New York Mets are "very optimistic" that third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) will avoid the injured list after being pulled from Tuesday's game with a tight left hamstring. Baty came in on Wednesday feeling better than Tuesday night. "I think it just scared me," Baty said. He should be back in the lineup within a few days but is out on Wednesday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team has an off day on Thursday before starting a series on Friday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, so fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if Baty is feeling good enough to play. With Baty resting on Wednesday, Zack Short is starting at third base and is hitting in the nine-hole for the Mets against Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter.

New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith earned his first save of the season in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Pirates. Smith came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two and delivered a 1-2-3 outing with two strikeouts. Edwin Diaz had pitched each of the last two days, so Smith was called upon to close things out. The 30-year-old has pitched well this season, going 1-0 with two holds and a 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 IP. However, he has not seen enough high-leverage situations to warrant fantasy attention at this time.

The New York Mets announced that third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) left Tuesday's game versus the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates due to tightness in his left hamstring. He went 0-for-2 before veteran infielder Joey Wendle replaced him at third base. It's a tough break for the 24-year-old former top prospect, who is batting a strong .305 (18-for-59) with one home run, nine RBI, and seven runs scored over 17 games this season. With very little infield depth in Queens, Wendle and Zack Short would figure to form a platoon for at-bats at the hot corner if Baty needs to miss additional time following Tuesday's departure. Neither of the two have done enough this season to be worth speculative fantasy adds at the moment. Consider Baty day-to-day ahead of Wednesday's series finale against Pittsburgh.

It's "very unlikely" that designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) will join the New York Mets on their upcoming West Coast road trip, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. The Mets begin their road trip this Friday, April 19, against the Los Angeles Dodgers and will wrap it up in San Francisco against the Giants on Wednesday, April 24. Martinez didn't sign with New York until late in spring training, so he stuck around in extended spring training to get his timing down at the plate before injuring his back in early April. The 36-year-old could start a rehab assignment later this week and make his 2024 debut with the Mets later this month or in early May. When he's finally ready to return, Martinez can still provide some thump from the DH spot and will give the Mets more protection for All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso.