Jose Quintana named Mets' 2024 Opening Day starter

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza officially announced that veteran Jose Quintana will get the start on Opening Day against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 28 at Citi Field.

"Obviously this is a guy who has been in the league for a long time," Mendoza said. "He’s one of those guys who competes, takes the ball, knows how to pitch, and we like how he’s bouncing back. We feel like the more he goes through his progression, the stronger he feels. So we talked to him today and it was exciting news and big day for us."

Added Mendoza: "He was pretty happy. He was excited. Obviously, we go back to the days that we were with the Yankees. I had him in the minor leagues, and it’s special. My first conversation as a manager and to be able to do it to Jose means a lot to all of us."

The 35-year-old Quintana became the logical choice to get the Opening Day nod once it was revealed that Kodai Senga would miss the start of the season with a moderate right posterior capsule strain.

The 12-year veteran didn’t make his Mets debut until midway through the 2023 season due to a stress reaction in his ribs that ultimately led to doctors finding a lesion that required bone graft surgery. He eventually made 13 starts for the Mets, pitching to a solid 3.57 ERA.

"Really excited," Quintana said on Wednesday. "It's a great opportunity… It's an honor for me."

Quintana will become the first left-hander to start on Opening Day for the Mets since Jon Niese in 2013.

And Quintana does have some experience as an Opening Day starter, as he pitched for the Chicago White Sox in the 2017 opener.