New York Mets

Jorge Polanco

2B

Mark Vientos will be rewarded with another start, this time at DH, after homering in Thursday's win. Brett Baty gets the nod at first base. Polanco is off to a slow start to begin his Mets career with a .582 OPS through 28 plate appearances.

Mike Tauchman

RF

Tauchman is expected to miss the first six weeks of the season while he recovers from his operation. He'll report to Triple-A Syracuse once he's healthy but could be bumped up to Queens during the season if Carson Benge struggles during his first season in the bigs.

A.J. Minter

RP

Still on the mend from the left lat surgery he underwent May 12, 2025, Minter is expected to spend the next couple of weeks continuing his rehab program at the Mets' spring training facility in Florida, per MLB.com. The southpaw reliever has been facing hitters for the past few weeks, so he could get the green light to start a rehab assignment at Single-A St. Lucie shortly after the Florida State League season gets underway. Minter is expected to eventually move up to a higher-level affiliate as the final step before he makes his return from the IL.

Nate Lavender

RP

The Rays acquired Lavender via the Rule 5 Draft last winter, so now that he's been outrighted off the Rays' 40-man roster, he'll return to the Mets' farm system. The 25-year-old lefty missed all of last season while recovering from an internal brace procedure, and he underwent another surgery in August to remove a bone spur in his left elbow. His availability for spring training remains unclear.

Juan Soto

RF

Soto opened the scoring with two outs in the sixth inning Wednesday, tucking a 2-0 pitch off the base of the right-field foul pole for his first home run of the season. Soto is off to a strong start at the plate, going 9-for-26 with a .952 OPS and five RBI through six games after slashing .263/.396/.525 with a career-high 43 home runs, 105 RBI and 38 stolen bases in 2025.