Starling Marte was not allowed to swing, but he still found a way to be quite active Wednesday afternoon in a minor league exhibition game.
was not allowed to swing, but he still found a way to be quite active Wednesday afternoon in a minor league exhibition game.
“He bunted, he stole bases, played defense and got a lot out of it,” manager Buck Showalter said. “He impressed [first-base coach] Wayne Kirby. [Kirby] said, ‘He can really run.’ But Kirb said he had a good face about it. You could tell he was feeling good about himself.” Before playing in the minor league game Wednesday, Marte had advanced to hitting off a tee and hitting flips in the batting cage. Showalter said he was not yet sure when Marte would move to taking batting practice or hitting in a game, but has indicated the veteran could still be ready for Opening Day if he does not incur any setbacks.