Check in on 5 key storylines for the Mets in Grapefruit League play

As spring training is heating up in Port St. Lucie, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is hoping that he will have some difficult decisions heading into Opening Day at Citi Field on March 28.

Any tough deliberations would signal strong performances from the players on the periphery of the Mets roster.

The Mets have their first off day of spring training on Monday following a rain-shortened contest on Sunday afternoon. They also trimmed the roster for the first time on Sunday.

With three weeks in the books down in Florida and action happening daily, here are where the key storylines stand for the Mets:

Tylor Megill gains the inside track

For the third straight season, the Mets will be without their top starting pitcher on Opening Day, and Tylor Megill could be the prime beneficiary.

Kodai Senga was shut down from throwing before even making his spring debut after he was diagnosed with a moderate strain of the posterior capsule in his right shoulder. After receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on Feb. 23, it was determined that Senga would be on the shelf for at least three weeks.

That opened up a competition for the final spot in the Mets' rotation, and Megill, who has started each of the last two Opening Days following injuries to Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander, has made a quick strong impression.

Through five innings, Megill has allowed one earned run and struck out seven while giving up four hits and issuing no walks. After allowing an earned run in his first outing, Megill struck out four, including Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez, across three scoreless innings of relief against the Astros last Thursday. Megill is set to start again on Tuesday against the Yankees.

The competition was whittled by one member as it was announced that Max Kranick was dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain that will keep him from the mound for several weeks.

Jose Butto remains an option as the 25-year-old right-hander has tossed three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and four hits allowed across two outings this spring. Left-hander Joey Lucchesi has yet to make his spring debut.

Starling Marte's health

When Starling Marte arrived to Port St. Lucie, the Mets outfielder insisted that he was ready to go. Despite groin surgery in November 2022 limiting him to 86 games last season, Mendoza was encouraged by what he saw from Marte in the Dominican Winter League, where he appeared in 11 postseason games for Leones del Escogido.

Marte appeared in his first Grapefruit League action on Wednesday afternoon, reemerging in right field and going 0-for-3 at the plate.

But his second time in the lineup on Friday afternon is what provided encouraging results. Marte opened the game by laying down a bunt single and then made his mark in the bottom of the frame, rifling out Dylan Carlson attempting to tag up from second base.

Marte belted a 109-mph line drive to left-center field on Sunday afternoon that was hit so hard that he was held to a single.

The Mets could use the Marte of old this season. He was one of the key contributors to their success in 2022 when he earned his second All-Star nod and chipped in 16 home runs, 63 RBI and 76 runs.

Delayed action, early send-offs

A few key contributors had yet to debut for the Mets this spring entering Monday's off day.

Mendoza announced on Saturday that second baseman Jeff McNeil had been shut down from hitting activities due to left elbow soreness. According to reports, McNeil is still participating in fielding drills and will be evaluated following the off day.

McNeil had been building up slowly after playing through a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow in September. The injury did not require surgery, but McNeil, who is now wearing a bulky brace on that elbow at the plate, did receive a PRP injection at the conclusion of the season.

Utility infielder Joey Wendle has also yet to play for the Mets this spring after experiencing right shoulder soreness, but it believed that he should be in action soon.

The Mets announced their first roster cuts on Sunday, with right-handers Christian Scott, Mike Vasil and Dominic Hamel, infielder Jett Williams and outfielder Drew Gilbert, among those reassigned to minor league camp. Luisangel Acuna - a member of the 40-man roster - was also optioned to Triple-A.

Bullpen building blocks

One notable name that was not included among the reassignments was left-hander Nate Lavender, who has impressed in the race for the final one or two bullpen spots on the Mets' roster.

Lavender, who was a non-roster invitee, has thrown two perfect frames with four strikeouts in two outings so far this spring. The 24-year-old was scheduled to pitch on Sunday before rain cut the game short.

Shintaro Fujinami, who signed a one-year, $3.35 million deal this offseason, returned to the Clover Park complex on Saturday after returning to Japan for a personal matter and rectifying a visa issue. The 29-year-old right-hander, who debuted in MLB last season, has plenty of upside after a rocky rookie campaign but also minor-league options available. He has yet to pitch in a spring game for the Mets.

The Mets have a host of relief-pitching options who would need to make the Opening Day roster or clear waivers to start in the minor leagues, including Michael Tonkin, Phil Bickford, Sean Reid-Foley, Yohan Ramriez and Austin Adams.

Early returns for Brett Baty and Mark Vientos

Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are going to have their chance to make a better impression in their sophomore seasons with the Mets. For Baty, that is likely to come regularly at third base, while Vientos could see most of his action at designated hitter.

This spring, their splitting their time at the hot corner.

In the early going, it has taken some time for the duo to get their bats going, but they each had a strong weekend to that end. Vientos belted an opposite-field home run against the Cardinals on Friday and Baty followed it up with a solo shot against the Marlins on Saturday.

In limited action so far this spring, Baty is 2-for-16 with three runs, an RBI and five strikeouts, while Vientos is 3-for-15 with two runs, an RBI and two strikeouts.

Baty has looked more comfortable at third base, converting on 10 of his fielding chances. In the opening weekend, he was charged with a questionable error on a throw to home that was dropped by Tomas Nido. Vientos has had five chances and made one error on a chopper to his left that rattled in and out of his glove.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Update on 5 storylines in early spring training