This is not the Mets team anyone drew up in March. Francisco Lindor is on the IL with a calf and the team is reportedly hoping he's back in about a month. Francisco Alvarez had right meniscus surgery and is looking at an 8-week shelf. Jorge Polanco, Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes — all out. Carlos Mendoza is patching this thing together with duct tape and a 22-29 record to show for it.
- Day-To-DayMike Tauchman RF — Tauchman (knee) is still rehabbing at the Mets' spring training complex and has yet to resume baseball activities, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayGrae Kessinger 3B — no
- Day-To-DayJoe Jacques RP — The Mets signed Jacques to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKevin Herget RP — Herget signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Mets on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayNick Burdi RP — The Red Sox reinstated Burdi (hip) from the injured list Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.
- Day-To-DayJose Rojas 3B — Triple-A Salt Lake placed Rojas on its COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- 10-Day-ILJared Young 1B — Young (knee) will move his rehab assignment from Single-A St. Lucie to Triple-A Syracuse this week, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILFrancisco Lindor SS — The Mets "have hope" that Lindor (calf) will return to the active roster in about a month, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
- Day-To-DayThomas White SP — White isn't expected to make his MLB debut anytime soon, Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKemp Alderman RF — Alderman (hand) has gone 2-for-13 with two RBI and a run scored in four games since returning from Single-A Jupiter's 7-day injured list Thursday.
- 7-day ilLeo Jimenez 3B — Jimenez will head to the IL after being removed from Tuesday's game against Atlanta, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
- 10-Day-ILGriffin Conine LF — Conine will undergo a left hamstring tendon excision next week, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRobby Snelling SP — Snelling underwent internal brace surgery Friday to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow.
- 60-Day-ILRonny Henriquez RP — The Marlins placed Henriquez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.
- 60-Day-ILAdam Mazur SP — The Marlins placed Mazur (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- OutJesus Tinoco RP — The Marlins re-signed Tinoco (elbow) to a minor-league contract Jan. 5.
The good news, if you squint, is that Freddy Peralta is on the bump. The Mets' Opening Day starter is 3-3 with a 3.31 ERA and has gone at least 5 innings in 9 of his 10 starts. The bad news is the walks — he's issued multiple free passes in 8 of those 10. Against this Marlins lineup that probably won't bury you, but against Max Meyer it might.
Meyer is the story of the day. The Marlins' righty is 4-0 with a 2.85 ERA and is the only qualified starting pitcher in MLB without a loss. He's already thrown a 7-inning, 1-hit gem against the Phillies this month. Miami is 23-29 and not exactly tearing the cover off the ball, but when Meyer pitches they've found a way to hang around.
The market reflects the pitching edge — kind of. Pinnacle has the Marlins at -111 with a fair win probability of 51.4%, and the total sits at 8 across the board. DraftKings has skewed the moneyline a tick further toward Miami at -120, which is where the EV math gets ugly on the home side. Neither side is screaming value here; this is a coin flip with a wet ball.
The play, if you're playing, is probably the under. Two starters with sub-3.50 ERAs, a Mets lineup missing its two best hitters, and a Marlins offense that the manager keeps publicly nudging to do more. First pitch is 3:10 PM ET — settle in for a quiet one.