New York Mets DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The New York Mets optioned designated hitter Mark Vientos to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday and also told first baseman Ji Man Choi that he won't be on the team's Opening Day roster. It's a mild surprise after it was announced on Saturday that the newly signed J.D. Martinez would be starting the year on the farm to get his bat up to speed after just signing with the Mets several days ago. It pretty much kills any fantasy value the 24-year-old Vientos might have had in NL-only leagues to start the year. While Vientos won't begin the year in the big leagues, he'll almost certainly be up with the Mets at some point in 2024 once injuries hit. He was destroying Triple-A pitching in 2023 to earn a big-league call-up, but he hit just .211 (46-for-218) with nine homers and 22 RBI for the Mets in 65 games.

The New York Mets have informed Jose Iglesias, Tomas Nido, and Luke Voit that they did not make the team's Opening Day roster. Voit signed a minor-league contract with the Mets in February but failed to latch onto the team's main roster after hitting .097 with a home run and four RBI over 31 spring at-bats. Iglesias had a solid spring, but it wasn't enough to make the team's Opening Day roster. This spring, he hit .278 with a home run and three RBI over 36 at-bats. Both Voit and Iglesias will look to latch onto another team. Neither Iglesias nor Voit will provide much fantasy value even if they sign with another club ahead of 2024 fantasy drafts.

The New York Mets will officially option designated hitter J.D. Martinez to the minor leagues to begin the 2024 regular season so that he can build up at-bats, meaning he won't be with the team to start the year for at least the first 10 days of the season. Martinez just signed with the Mets the other day and will need to see some live pitching in the minors first before the Mets are comfortable throwing him into the fire in the big leagues in 2024. When the Mets deem him ready, the 36-year-old is expected to be the team's primary designated hitter to help give All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the lineup. Martinez had yet another 30-homer season in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and can provide plenty of power when he's healthy, but his lack of positional eligibility in fantasy makes him less attractive.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez has minor-league options remaining but has way more than five years of service time, so he can consent to being sent to the minor leagues. Given the fact that Martinez probably isn't going to be ready by Opening Day next Thursday after just signing with the team on Thursday, Newsday's Tim Healey writes that it looks like the Mets will ask the veteran slugger to start the year in the minors with Triple-A Syracuse. The 36-year-old six-time All-Star bounced back in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting .271 (117-for-432) with 33 hoe runs and 103 RBI in 113 games played, but fantasy managers may want to temper expectations for Martinez, at least early on, as he ramps back into form after not playing at all in spring training. Mark Vientos could operate as New York's primary DH until Martinez is ready to go.

The New York Mets are considering having right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder) throw on a once-every-six-days schedule once he's able to ramp up and pitch in games, which means what would for some pitchers be a six-week ramp-up, might last a little longer for Senga. "I feel good. I feel ready," Senga said through an interpreter. He expects to begin playing catch within the next week once he passes internal testing. The 31-year-old Japanese hurler has been cleared to begin activities after an MRI and a visit with doctors earlier this week as he works his way back from a moderate posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder. However, he's going to start the 2024 season on the injured list and will miss at least the first month of the season and possibly more.