New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez and outfielder Starling Marte will both start on the bench on Friday for the contest against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Aaron Nola at Citizens Bank Park. Outfielder Jesse Winker will serve as the DH for the Mets and hit fifth, while Tyrone Taylor makes the start in right field and hits seventh against Nola. It's a tough matchup for the entire Mets batting order. Winker is hitting just .182 with a home run and two RBI in 22 career at-bats versus Nola, while Taylor has hit .375 with an RBI, albeit in just eight at-bats in his career against Nola. Martinez could use a day off, as the 37-year-old has struggled so far in September, going 3-for-21 (.143) with four RBI. Marte has also struggled since coming off the injured list back on Aug. 18, going 12-for-56 (.214) with three doubles and four RBI.

The New York Mets reinstated designated hitter J.D. Martinez from the paternity list on Thursday and optioned outfielder DJ Stewart in a corresponding move. The Mets also claimed outfielder Jose Azocar off waivers from the San Diego Padres and assigned him to Triple-A Syracuse while moving pitcher Sean Reid-Foley (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. The Mets don't play on Thursday, so Martinez won't be able to return to the starting lineup until Friday's series opener at Citi Field against the visiting Cincinnati Reds. The 37-year-old veteran was hitless in his last two games before going on paternity leave, but he's gone 8-for-26 (.308) with two homers, a double and four RBI in his previous seven games dating back to Aug. 25, so the Mets will be hoping he can pick up where he left off as the team continues their push for the final wild-card spot in the National League.

The New York Mets placed designated hitter J.D. Martinez on the paternity list on Monday and recalled outfielder DJ Stewart from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. Martinez is likely to miss the entire series this week at Citi Field against the visiting Boston Red Sox as Martinez welcomes a new addition to his family. Outfielder Jesse Winker will serve as the DH on Monday and bat cleanup, while Stewart mans left field and hits in the eight-hole against Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello. Martinez has provided moderate power for fantasy managers this year and has hit .308 (8-for-26) with two homers, a double and four RBI for the Mets in his last seven games dating back to Aug. 25. The 30-year-old Stewart should get some more starts this week if the team is facing right-handed pitching. He's hit just .172 (26-for-151) in 2024 with five homers and 19 RBI.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (elbow) is back at the DH spot and is hitting third for the Mets on Wednesday at Citi Field against the visiting Oakland Athletics and right-hander Joey Estes. Martinez was hit by a 100 mph fastball from A's starter Joe Boyle on his left elbow Tuesday and was forced from the game early, but he avoided a serious injury and is back in the lineup a day later. The 36-year-old got a late start to the season after signing late, but he's still provided 12 home runs and 53 RBI in 319 at-bats in his first year in the Big Apple. However, he's showing signs of fatigue in the second half, batting .237 (18-for-76) with only two home runs, four doubles, 15 RBI, 11 walks and 27 strikeouts in 22 games since the All-Star break. Martinez has homered just once since the start of August.

The New York Mets have announced that designated hitter J.D. Martinez (elbow) exited with a left elbow contusion in Tuesday night's series opener against the visiting Oakland Athletics at Citi Field. In Martinez's first at-bat of the game, Athletics right-hander Joe Boyle plunked him on the elbow with a 100-mph fastball. Mark Vientos (ankle), who had been day-to-day entering the day, replaced Martinez in the third inning. Martinez was able to stay in the contest to run the bases in the second inning, so his departure certainly feels like a precautionary measure. Consider him day-to-day ahead of Wednesday's tilt against Oakland. The 36-year-old veteran slugger has been slumping lately for the Mets, batting .212 (18-for-85) with two home runs, 15 RBI, and six runs scored in his last 24 games since July 12. Tyrone Taylor is a candidate to join New York's starting nine if Martinez ends up sitting out a day or two.

New York Mets outfielder J.D. Martinez is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. This appears to be a regular rest day for the 36-year-old slugger. In his absence, Jesse Winker will bat third and serve as the designated hitter versus right-hander Ryan Feltner. This is a favorable spot for Winker in a hitter-friendly park against a struggling pitcher. Fantasy managers in need of a streaming option should consider Winker for Wednesday's game.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the seventh inning in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Angels. The Mets' lead was brief, as Zach Neto hit a subsequent three-run homer in the bottom of the inning that gave the Angels the lead for good. Martinez is having a solid year for the Mets, slashing .268/.349/.454 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI despite missing most of the first month of the season. Since July 22, the 36-year-old has gone 13-for-41 (.317) with 12 RBI and two home runs -- both of which were grand slams.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez broke out of his funk in Friday night's win over the visiting division-rival Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, picking up three hits and launching a grand slam in the victory. As part of a three-homer, seven-run inning for New York on Friday, Martinez hit a grand slam off Braves right-hander Charlie Morton to right field to give the Mets a 4-2 lead in the third inning. This performance was a much-needed jolt for the 36-year-old veteran slugger, who came into the day batting a frigid .184 (14-for-76) with a lone homer and six RBI in his last 21 games. Over his last seven contests, Martinez has looked better while hitting 9-for-29 (.310). With a .502 expected slugging percentage on Baseball Savant, Martinez remains a buy-low candidate for fantasy managers in need of power numbers.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez is not in Sunday's lineup as the Mets look to complete a three-game sweep against the Colorado Rockies. Martinez has been in the starting nine over the past five games but will cede DH duties to first baseman Pete Alonso on Sunday afternoon. This allows Mark Vientos to shift over to first base. Martinez has been in a bit of a slump since the start of July, with a disappointing .194/.326/.333 line with only one home run and four RBI. The 36-year-old should continue to serve as the primary designated hitter in Queens in the second half of the season. The entire Mets lineup is worth considering in DFS this afternoon as they will face Colorado right-hander German Marquez, who will be making his 2024 season debut.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez will get the day off on Monday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale. With Martinez starting on the pine, catcher Francisco Alvarez will serve as the DH for the Mets and will bat third, while Luis Torrens will do the catching and hit sixth in the order against Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller. Martinez has been great for the Mets in 2024 since joining them a little late after the start of the season. However, he could use a day off after going hitless in his last 13 plate appearances with two walks and four strikeouts in his last three games. Still, the 36-year-old right-handed slugger has been a solid contributor for the Mets and fantasy managers in 224 at-bats this year, slashing .263/.348/.469 with an .817 OPS, 10 home runs and 37 RBI.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (ankle) is back in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the division-rival Washington Nationals and left-hander Mitchell Parker, serving as the DH and batting third in the order. Martinez missed Tuesday's game due to a sore ankle that was caused by trying new cleats. He said he got three pairs of the correct cleats on Wednesday, which should get him to the All-Star break. The 36-year-old right-handed power hitter should be returned to staring lineups after being scratched on Tuesday. Martinez signed with the Mets late and needed to get his timing down in the minors before making his debut, but he's hit the ground running since joining the Mets and is batting a strong .278/.360/.493 with an .853 OPS, 10 homers and 37 RBI in 209 at-bats.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (ankle) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals. The veteran slugger is being pulled out of the lineup due to left-ankle soreness. Fantasy managers don't need to panic, as this sounds like a minor issue. For now, Martinez should be considered as day-to-day until further notice. Luis Torrens will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth versus Nationals rookie left-hander DJ Herz.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez continued his solid offensive season in Monday's 9-7 extra-innings win over the Nationals. Martinez went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run, two walks, and two strikeouts. The 37-year-old broke the 10th-inning tie, taking Hunter Harvey deep over the center-field wall. Martinez has continued to provide consistent fantasy results despite his age and is now slashing .278/.360/.493 with 10 HR, 22 runs scored, and 37 RBI in 239 plate appearances. His utility-only eligibility slightly limits his fantasy value, but his power production and batting average are worth rostering in all fantasy formats.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez had a very productive day at the plate on Friday, smacking a three-run homer and adding an RBI single in the Mets' 11-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. The four RBI are a season high for Martinez, and his home run was his ninth on the season. The 36-year-old has been having a fantastic season, hitting for a .370 wOBA with a .391 xwOBA, the latter ranking in the 97th percentile of the league. Fantasy managers looking for a DH should snatch up Martinez immediately if he's available. He will look to continue his hot June on Saturday against Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, who he is 5-for-21 against in his career with a double and a homer.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez continued his recent hot hitting in a 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Martinez went 3-for-3 with two walks, two homers, two runs, and three RBI, powering his team to the win. The veteran slugger hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning and followed that up with a solo blast in the seventh. Martinez is now hitting .286 with eight homers, 17 runs, and 26 RBI across 161 at-bats for the Mets in 2024. He's been on fire of late, batting .308 with three homers and 11 RBI over his past seven games. Martinez should be locked into fantasy lineups while he's swinging a hot bat.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (illness) is back at DH and is batting cleanup for the Mets on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Ben Lively. Martinez was held out of Sunday's lineup in the series finale against the Miami Marlins due to flu-like symptoms but is feeling good enough to return to action against a pitcher he's never faced in his career. The 36-year-old right-handed slugger got a late start to the 2024 campaign after signing with the Mets late. He opened the year playing in minor leagues to get his timing at the plate down, and it seems to have worked, as he's currently hitting .315/.359/.466 with two home runs in his first 21 games of the season. Fantasy managers will want to get the veteran DH back in their starting lineups to begin the week.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (illness) is out of the starting lineup on Sunday against the Miami Marlins due to flu-like symptoms. There is some kind of bug going around the team's clubhouse right now. With Martinez under the weather, Brandon Nimmo will serve as the DH and bat third, with Tyrone Taylor in left field and hitting fifth against Marlins right-hander Sixto Sanchez. Fantasy managers will need to remove Martinez from their starting lineups and check back on Monday to see if he's feeling good enough to play in the series opener in Cleveland against the Guardians. Martinez didn't make his 2024 debut for the Mets until April 26, but he's hit the ground running and is currently batting .315 (23-for-73) with two home runs and nine RBI in 21 games. The six-time All-Star is still a nice source of power in fantasy despite being 36 years old.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez smashed his second home run of the season in Wednesday's loss on the road to the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, but it wasn't enough as his team fell in the blowout defeat. Martinez smacked his second homer of the year to make the score 10-3 in the eighth inning. Even though the 36-year-old veteran slugger isn't setting off fantasy fireworks to this point, he's slashing a serviceable .295/.338/.459 with two bombs, four doubles, and six RBI over 61 at-bats (18 games) in his first year with the Mets. He might have a decent chance to pop for a big day at the plate in Thursday's series finale against Philadelphia and right-hander Taijuan Walker, since Martinez is 7-for-14 with a homer, a double, and three RBI in 14 plate appearances against Walker in his career.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez will return to the lineup and hit fourth on Monday against the Chicago Cubs. After coming off the bench in Sunday's 4-2 extra-innings win and flying out in a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth inning, the veteran will start in the Mets' series opener. Martinez got a late start to the season after signing with New York in late March and dealing with a back issue a couple of weeks ago. However, he officially made his season debut on Friday, where he went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one double. Expect the 36-year-old to take some days off here and there over the next few weeks since he didn't have a spring training. Nonetheless, he's a player whom fantasy managers should be looking to pick up in fantasy, given his potential to hit 25-30 home runs atop the Mets' lineup.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez will retreat to the bench on Sunday for the series finale against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Martinez didn't make his 2024 debut with the Mets until Friday night after signing with the club late in spring training and then suffering a back injury while getting ramped up at extended spring training. The 36-year-old veteran right-handed went 3-for-8 in his first two games with an RBI, but he also struck out five times. The Mets plan on easing Martinez back into the fold, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's on the bench in only his third game back. With Martinez starting on the bench, DJ Stewart will serve as the team's designated hitter and bat cleanup against Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn. The 30-year-old lefty hitter isn't a bad low-cost DFS option on Sunday in the cleanup spot. He's hitting .200 (9-for-45) on the year with three homers and 11 RBI.