Mets vs. Marlins Lineups: Ewing Leads Off

The New York Mets opened a four-game series against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on Thursday, July 30, 2026, with A.J. Ewing leading off and Nolan McLean matched against Eury Pérez. The submitted lineup also showed that New York was replacing Juan Soto's role across several positions rather than assigning it to one player.

Ewing leads New York's reshaped order

Ewing started in left field, Carson Benge moved into right, and Luis Robert Jr. handled center. Brett Baty played first base, which allowed Jorge Polanco to remain in the batting order as the designated hitter.

The starting lineups listed on the official game page were:

Baty's placement at first base is the hinge in New York's arrangement. It keeps Polanco out of the field while preserving his switch-hitting bat, and it leaves Ewing, Robert, and Benge to cover the outfield reshaped by Soto's absence.

Miami presented McLean with a lineup containing seven left-handed or switch hitters. Hicks, Edwards, Stowers, Conine, Marsee, Pauley, and Mack all hit from the left side or both sides, while Lopez and Hernández were the only right-handed hitters in the starting nine.

The order required McLean to work through repeated left-handed matchups.

Same WHIP, different paths for McLean and Pérez

McLean, 25, and Pérez, 23, entered with identical 1.11 season WHIPs. Their official totals also placed them close in run prevention, though McLean had worked more innings and recorded more strikeouts.

The matching WHIPs conceal a clear difference in how the two right-handers attack hitters. McLean's Statcast profile lists eight pitches, led by a sinker used about one-third of the time. His four-seam fastball, sweeper, curveball, cutter, changeup, slider, and slow curve give him several ways to alter speed and movement.

Pérez's Statcast profile lists six pitches, but he relies more heavily on one of them. His four-seam fastball accounted for 42.3 percent of his pitches and averaged 98.2 mph, with the slider and sweeper serving as his main breaking options.

McLean carried a 2.09 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 43 innings over his previous seven starts. Pérez posted a 1.58 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 40 innings over the same span.

McLean worked six innings in each of his previous three outings. He allowed two earned runs against the Dodgers on July 25 and none against Philadelphia on July 19. Against Boston on July 10, two unearned runs scored after an error, although McLean's pitching line contained no earned runs.

Pérez allowed three earned runs over seven innings against San Diego on July 25. He had held Milwaukee scoreless for six innings on July 19 and allowed two earned runs in six innings against Cleveland on July 11.

Soto's absence changes more than left field

Soto went on the 10-day injured list after an MRI revealed a Grade 2 strain of his left calf. He had already missed two and a half weeks with a right calf strain in April, and the club expected the second injury to keep him out longer.

Speaking after the diagnosis, interim manager Andy Green said in the club's injury update: "It's not what we were hoping for. He's a guy we love having on the field. He's a guy who loves being on the field competing. We'll be without him for a period of time now."

The update also identified the likely short-term arrangement. Ewing, Robert, and Benge were expected to receive most of the outfield work, while Polanco would take the largest share of designated-hitter appearances.

The July 30 lineup followed that plan. Baty's start at first base created the space for Polanco to serve as the designated hitter without removing another regular bat from the order.

Green has made those decisions since the Mets dismissed Carlos Mendoza and named him interim manager on June 26.

Soto was batting .283 with a .408 on-base percentage, a .539 slugging percentage, and 21 home runs in 84 games when he returned to the injured list. Those numbers explain why the Mets cannot reproduce his role through one replacement. The July 30 card divided his defensive position, lineup placement, and designated-hitter work among several players.

Broadcast details for the Citi Field opener

The game was scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field in Queens, New York.

The Mets' July schedule listed the July 30 game as the opener of a four-game home series. The club had not announced a definitive return date for Soto when the series began.