Mets' Starling Marte expected to miss at least a month with bone bruise in knee

NEW YORK (AP) — Outfielder Starling Marte is expected to miss at least a month for the New York Mets due to a deep bone bruise in his right knee.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday Marte has been playing through discomfort since a series against the Washington Nationals from June 3-5.

“Playing (in) D.C., he went after a ball and then when he got back to his position, he felt something,” Mendoza said.

Marte missed four games for maintenance issues from June 5 through last Friday before exiting after one at-bat in Saturday’s 8-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Mendoza said Marte will be shut down from baseball activities for two weeks before undergoing another MRI.

Tyrone Taylor started in Marte’s place in right field in Tuesday’s Subway Series opener against the Yankees and will likely rotate with DJ Stewart and Ben Gamel, the latter of whom was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse Tuesday to replace Marte on the active roster.

Marte, 35, is hitting .278 with seven homers, 30 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in as many attempts this season. Despite the knee injury, he hit .304 with one homer, seven RBIs and three steals in 13 games this month.

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