Spring Training Game Chat: Marlins vs Mets, 1:10 PM

Saturday, February 21, 2026 • 1:10 PM
Clover Park • Port St. Lucie, FL
LHP Robby Snelling (0-0, -.–) vs. LHP Brandon Waddell (0-0, -.–)
SNY

The wait is over! The 2026 Mets take the field today for their first spring training game. There are a lot of new faces on the roster this spring, and familiar faces in new places on the diamond. Players in new positions like Bo Bichette at third, Jorge Polanco at first, Juan Soto in left, and Brett Baty in right will dominate story lines this spring. On top of that the Mets have 30ish non-roster players in camp this spring.

The Mets will face off against the Marlins today and will end their spring training schedule against them a month later on March 22nd. By then the roster will be set. How we get to that roster starts today!

Mets Lineup

1. Marcus Semien 2B
2. Juan Soto LF
3. Bo Bichette 3B
4. Tyrone Taylor CF
5. Ronny Mauricio SS
6. MJ Melendez RF
7. Austin Barnes C
8. Jose Rojas 1B
9. Chris Suero DH

Starting Pitcher: Brandon Waddell

Opposing Lineup

1. Jakob Marsee CF
2. Agustín Ramírez C
3. Christopher Morel 1B
4. Griffin Conine RF
5. Connor Norby 3B
6. Heriberto Hernández LF
7. Javier Sanoja 2B
8. Maximo Acosta SS
9. Ryan Ignoffo DH

Starting Pitching: Robby Snelling

Game Notes

• The Mets’ first spring training game features must watches defensively. Mauricio is starting at shortstop, a position he might fill this season with Francisco Lindor‘s availability to start the season on time. Bichette will get his first look at third in a Mets uniform, and Soto will be slotted back to left field, a position he hasn’t handled more than six games at since 2023.
• Chris Suero will DH for the Mets, giving fans a look at an under-the-radar prospect. Suero is a catcher/first baseman/outfielder who dominated the Arizona Fall League this offseason, slashing .283/.353/.567 with five homers in 15 games.
• Luis Robert Jr. is out of the lineup to start spring, which shouldn’t surprise many fans. Carlos Mendoza identified certain areas of Robert’s body he needed to strengthen this spring, and believes the Mets’ medical staff has found the key to his health heading toward the 2026 season.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Brandon Waddell. Today’s starter is back in camp as a non-roster invitee for a second season in a row. Waddell ended up pitching 31 1/3 innings for the Mets last season with a 3.45 ERA and a 118 ERA+. His actual results were quite different than his expected results, which had him at an xERA of 5.59 and an xBA of .281. He’s trying to break through camp as a lefty, and even if he doesn’t break camp with the team, it is safe to assume we’ll see him with the major league club at some point this season.
2. Stolen bases in spring. There is a thought around baseball that spring training can give insight into stolen bases. Specifically, around which players are trying to be more aggressive on the base paths, which teams are making more stealing attempts, etc. Juan Soto is coming off a career high 38 stolen bases, with a previous career high of 12. How many bases did he steal last spring? Zero. Antoan Richardson, the former Mets first base coach, was an absolute wizard and played a huge role in the 2025 Mets’ stolen bases. We’ll be looking all spring to see how the new first base coach, Gilbert Gomez, handles the role.
3. New Fielding. This was touched on in the introduction. Players in new fielding positions will be the major story of the spring. We’ll see a good bit of this today. Juan Soto will be returning to left field. Bo Bichette will get reps at third base. We’ll also see Ronny Mauricio at short. If Lindor misses anytime, Mauricio is the only player on the Mets roster who played any innings at short with the Mets last year.

Let’s go Mets!

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