Mets place Marte on bereavement list after death of grandmother
Starling Marte is going through it. He was placed on the bereavement list, retroactive to May 16, after his grandmother died. Marte has returned to his home in Dominican Republic to be with his family during this difficult time, one that is taking an extra emotional toll on the Mets right fielder.
“It was heart wrenching talking to him yesterday,” manager Buck Showalter said on Tuesday. “I don’t think people realize, he’s had a tough go.”
Marte’s grandmother took care of him after his mother passed away when he was just 10 years old. To further compound an already unimaginable loss, the two-year death anniversary of his wife, who also died suddenly from a heart attack, is on Wednesday.
The Mets have told Marte to take all the time he needs. Technically, placement on the bereavement list can last anywhere from three to seven days, depending on the circumstances, and the number of days cannot be set in advance. As of Tuesday, the Mets were unsure how many games Marte would need to miss.
“Talking on the phone, there was a lot of emotion there,” Showalter said. “Really tore me up. Still does. Getting to know him little by little, more and more, he cares. He’s got a great heart, he’s got a big heart. And it’s been tough on us knowing what he’s going through. I’m looking forward to him getting back with the team and being around people that care for him.”
Travis Jankows- ki, the team’s fourth outfielder, is now expected to receive regular at-bats and serve a full-time role for the Mets. Jankowski has impressed the club in the short amount of time he’s been with the Amazin’s. Mets brass picked him up as a free agent in March, and entering Tuesday he hit .290/.371/.290 with three stolen bases over 23 games.
Jankowski, an eight-year bigleague veteran — who also played for the Padres, Phillies and Reds — with a knack for speed on the basepaths, will now be expected to step up for Marte in an everyday role.
“That’s another reason why we try to keep everybody involved,” Showalter said. “These things happen and you have to be ready for it. (Jankowski) understands that role. All of a sudden, maybe he has to do it for a week, maybe 10 days, two weeks. He was, under the radar, a great addition for our club. This is the type of day that we acquired him for.”
SMOOTH OPERATION
James McCann’s left hand surgery on his fractured hamate bone went according to plan on Tuesday morning, Showalter said. The Mets catcher will now begin his rehab, a process that could take up to six weeks, though McCann has said he wants to beat that timeline and return to the lineup sooner. If all goes well, McCann should return behind the plate by late June.
“There’s a chance it could be earlier,” Showalter said. “But we’re going to try to stay underneath the six weeks. I don’t want him to start thinking it’s a failure if it’s six and a half weeks. It’s not. Those small bones in the hand are pretty hard to predict.”
CHAVEZ ABSENT
Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez will be away from the team for their four-game homestand against the Cardinals. Chavez returned home to Arizona to support his son, who will have his second ACL surgery. Showalter said he expects Chavez to rejoin the team in Denver for the Amazin’s next road trip against the Rockies, beginning Friday, followed by three games against the Giants in San Francisco.