Veteran New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte always knew his role would look different this year, especially after the team tried trading him over the offseason.

It’s one thing to know something is coming. Dealing with the reality of it is another thing entirely.

Marte had been a full-time starter since 2013, his first full season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, injuries limited him the last two years, and Juan Soto’s arrival this offseason understandably set Marte up for a new position.

The 36-year-old Marte is only hitting .184 with a .589 OPS over 44 plate appearances but as a part-time designated hitter. The two-time All-Star currently splits DH reps with veteran slugger Jesse Winker.

“The success I had back earlier in my career was because I was playing every day,” Marte told the New York Post.

New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Marte played only 14 of the Mets’ first 21 games, though he at least recorded two doubles and two RBI.

“I think if I have more results and I am able to get into that lineup more, I will be able to get back to the player I once was,” Marte explained.

Marte is in the final year of a four-season, $78 million contract. It’s unclear if the Mets will attempt to trade him ahead of the deadline, though there may not be much interest in an aging slugger with a .667 OPS since the start of 2023.

“No player loves being in this type of role,” Marte acknowledged, “but at the same time, this is the way it has been presented to me, and … in order to have success at the plate, you have to go out there.”