MMO from Port St. Lucie: It’s the Eve of Spring Training

We’re live from Port St. Lucie!

Despite the official reporting day for pitchers and catchers not arriving until Tuesday, plenty of New York Mets stalwarts made their presence known on the practice field.

Starting pitcher Jonah Tong got some work in off the mound during the practice, looking to get a feel for some of his pitches. Fellow starting pitcher and key offseason addition, Freddy Peralta, threw some long-toss after his bullpen yesterday. Sean Manaea got some work in as well, seemingly working through getting a feel for his breaking ball.

A key member of the Mets’ present and future: P Jonah Tong. Going to be fun to see how he progresses over the spring. pic.twitter.com/c5pt9yjtnB

— Brandyn Pokrass (@BPok24) February 10, 2026

LHP Sean Manaea getting some work in during today’s practice session⬇️ pic.twitter.com/f9NwZWHhXx

— Brandyn Pokrass (@BPok24) February 10, 2026

Like those three key starting pitchers, plenty of other pitchers for New York were in attendance getting their work in. Some went through drills, ranging from rotational drills with weighted balls to plyometric work to regular conditioning. Some got in extended long-toss, while others kept their throwing to a shorter distance or to a minimum.

At the starting point of camp, every pitcher is going to be at a different point in their process.

More from today’s practice session⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CZb4sYGNpu

— Brandyn Pokrass (@BPok24) February 10, 2026

However, the energy of the light practice day did not translate to David Stearns’s press conference.

At the start of it, the President of Baseball Operations dropped two pretty massive news items.

The first news note was the most serious of the pairing, as star shortstop Francisco Lindor is set to be evaluated for a stress reaction in his left hamate bone. Stearns said that while the injury may require surgery and a six-week recovery, he is optimistic about Lindor’s availability for Opening Day.

“This is generally a clean six-week recovery, and we have six weeks until opening day,” he said.

The second major piece of news is that star outfielder Juan Soto will play left field for the Mets this season, not right field. While Stearns said it “was not something they had contemplated” heading into the offseason, he said that Soto is “really comfortable” there and that it makes sense “from a roster perspective.”

Other notes covered from today’s press conference:

• Stearns said that top prospect Carson Benge is an option to play right field for the Mets.
• Brett Baty is another option Stearns likes in right field.
• Tobias Myers will be stretched out to be a starter—it’s where the Mets need him now.
• Ryan Clifford will start the year at Triple-A, and Stearns said he’s made strides on defense last year into this offseason.

If today is a sign of things to come, it could be a very eventful spring for the New York Mets. Between the imminent arrival of top prospects and players getting opportunities they may not have had before, there will be plenty of storylines to follow. And with the official report day for pitchers and catchers tomorrow, the show is about to get rolling.

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