Feb 17, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea (59) works during spring training at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Sean Manaea looked the best he has in quite some time during Tuesday evening’s Grapefruit League tilt against the Miami Marlins.
He retired each of the 12 batters he faced across four perfect innings and struck out four — a promising result after last year’s injury-shortened debacle raised questions about his reliability moving forward.
“I felt really good out there,” Manaea said. “I thought all of my pitches worked. I was throwing them for strikes, and we mixed really well. It was just about getting ahead and attacking, and overall, I felt healthy, so it was a good day.”
The velocity on his fastball, though, has yet to come around. His four-seamer averaged a tick over 88 mph and failed to hit 90 mph. Last year, that pitch averaged 91.7 mph even after he returned from oblique and elbow issues.
“I think it’s in there,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of Manaea’s velocity. “But it’s probably gonna take some time.”
The veteran southpaw maintained that it will likely come once the regular season starts, and the “adrenaline” of pitching at Citi Field provides a bit more juice to his arsenal.
He has one more spring start later this week before the 2026 season officially begins on March 26 in Queens against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Another strong outing would ease some of the uncertainties surrounding him, as he will initially be relied upon to bolster the bottom of New York’s six-man rotation.
After being a second-half and postseason hero two years ago, Manaea was a shell of himself after starting the season in July. He posted a 5.64 ERA in 15 appearances.
“He’s a guy we missed [last year], and we felt it,” Mendoza said. “He’s one of those guys who can carry a team. When he’s throwing well, he takes pride in going deep in games and giving the team a chance to win. He’s a big part of what we’re doing here.”
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