Martinez hitting fifth in team debut
NEW YORK — A few hours before his long-awaited Mets debut, J.D. Martinez said he just wants to fit into the lineup and contribute.
It’s unfair, manager Carlos Mendoza added, to put too much pressure on the veteran designated hitter.
Still, an air of excitement hung over Citi Field on Friday with the six-time All-star finally in the Mets’ lineup — hitting fifth, behind Pete Alonso — for the first time.
“I made it,” Martinez, standing in front of his new locker, said with a laugh before the Mets’ series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Mets called up Martinez, 36, on Friday after signing him to a one-year, $12 million contract in late March. Martinez, one of numerous big-name Scott Boras clients to endure a prolonged free agency in the offseason, had hoped to debut sooner, but lower back tightness set him back during his extended spring training in Port St. Lucie.
He watched from afar as the Mets slumped to an 0-5 start, rebounded with five consecutive series victories and finished off a 3-3 road trip this week against two of the West Coast’s toughest teams in the Dodgers and Giants.
“I want to, obviously, be a part of it,” Martinez said Friday. “If they’re struggling, I want to struggle with them. If they’re doing good, I want to do good with them. That’s part of being a team. Unfortunately, signing so late, I didn’t really get to know the guys and hang out with them, but I’m here now and I’m hoping to make an impact.”
Senga set for next step: Mets ace Kodai Senga is set to throw a live bullpen session Monday, which would mark the pitcher’s first time facing hitters since suffering a right shoulder strain during spring training.
Senga, who is on the 60-day injured list, threw a bullpen on Thursday.
“[He is] feeling good today,” Mendoza said.
Megill progressing too:
Tylor Megill, also recovering from a shoulder strain, is set to pitch two innings for High-a Brooklyn on Saturday, according to Mendoza. Megill won Senga’s vacated spot in the rotation out of spring training but suffered his injury during his season debut on March 31.