Starling Marte struggling in transition to part-time Mets role: ‘It’s not easy’

Starling Marte’s transition to his new role hasn’t been as seamless as he and the Mets might have hoped. 

Reduced to part-time status for the first time in his career, Marte, who is sharing DH duties with Jesse Winker, has an anemic .184/.273/.316 slash line in 44 plate appearances after going 1-for-4 in Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Cardinals. 

After 12 seasons as a starter, the veteran outfielder is learning to deal with the reduced workload. 

“It’s something I continue to work on every day,” Marte told The Post through an interpreter. “No player loves being in this type of role, but at the same time, this is the way it has been presented to me, and I think, in order to have success at the plate, you have to go out there. You have to go and try to take advantage of whatever opportunity you can get.” 

The Mets tried to trade Marte last winter after Juan Soto arrived on a record 15-year contract worth $765 million, but a deal never materialized.

It left the 36-year-old outfielder back with the Mets to finish out the final year of his contract — with $20 million owed to him this season — in a job share with Winker. 

In each of the past two seasons, Marte missed significant stretches with injuries. His best season with the Mets was 2022, in which he produced an .814 OPS for a team that won 101 games. 

Marte was asked if he still believed it’s possible for that previous version of himself to reemerge. 

“I think everything is based on routine and the hard work that you put in,” Marte said. “The success I had back earlier in my career was because I was playing every day. I think if I have more results and I am able to get into that lineup more, I will be able to get back to the player I once was.” 

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On Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza recalled a conversation he had with Marte in spring training in which he told the outfielder the transition wouldn’t be easy.

Mendoza suggested to Marte that he speak with team special advisor Carlos Beltrán during the last homestand about the challenges a player faces going from full time to part time. 

“[Beltrán] went through the same transition,” Mendoza said. “Once you get to that stage of your career, you become kind of like a part-time player. But those are very important players on a championship team. It’s not easy. 

“[Marte] has been an elite player, everyday player, having success. Now, he’s having to go every two, every three days and come off the bench and face a pretty good reliever — that’s not an easy role. But he’ll be all right. He’s adjusting well. He gets it, and he’s going to be a big part of this team moving forward.” 

Marte missed two months last season rehabbing a bone bruise in his right knee. His reps in spring training were limited because of lingering knee issues, but he says he now feels strong physically. 

The former Gold Glove winner said he’s still expecting to receive an occasional start in the outfield. 

The Mets’ early success has certainly helped Marte form a positive view of the situation. 

“I think we have been playing a phenomenal brand of baseball,” he said. “We go out there every day and we help each other out, we support each other when we’re in that dugout and preparing for games. The pitching staff has been tremendous. They go out there each and every day and compete. I think that’s what you want from a team that is going to compete to try to win a championship.”