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BALTIMORE — One dependable bat returned to the Mets on Tuesday and another was removed from the mix. 

On a day Jesse Winker was activated from the injured list following a two-month absence, Starling Marte was placed on the IL with a bone bruise in his right knee. 

Marte was in visible discomfort during his ninth inning plate appearance on Sunday in the Subway Series finale.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said the injury was a recurrence of one Marte had in spring training, which followed his similar issues last season. 

But Mendoza doesn’t anticipate that Marte’s absence will extend beyond two weeks. Marte received a gel injection in the knee, which requires multiple days of rest, but he could resume baseball activities this weekend, according to Mendoza. 

“This should be right after the [All-Star] break — we’re looking at having Marte active if everything continues to progress accordingly,” Mendoza said as the Mets prepared to face the Orioles at Camden Yards. 

But Mendoza added that Marte hasn’t received an MRI exam. He will likely get that testing while the Mets are in Kansas City this weekend, after his rest period from the injection has ended. 

After a slow start, Marte has been a productive member of the Mets lineup. He owns a .270/.353/.387 slash line with four homers, 20 RBIs and five stolen bases.

Marte, 36, is completing a four-year contract worth $78 million. 

“He’s been a force for us, even at the top of the lineup, in the middle of the lineup, wherever we put him,” Mendoza said. “We put him in the outfield. But we’re thinking this is going to be short and the goal is to get him back after the break.” 

Last year Marte was placed on the injured list in late June with the bone bruise before returning in mid-August for the stretch run. 

Winker’s return gave the Mets a left-handed bat for the DH spot. The Mets went without a true left-handed DH in his absence, giving Jared Young a look in the spot before he returned to Triple-A Syracuse.

Lately it had become mostly a combination of Marte and Mark Vientos receiving the at-bats at DH. 

Winker entered the day with a .239/.321/.418 slash line with one homer and 10 RBIs in 78 plate appearances. 

“We know how important he is for the team,” Mendoza said. “It’s funny how these things work, right? You are getting one and you lose one, but it’s a big bat, especially from the left side, and you know what you are going to get at the plate.” 

Winker was asked about the difficulty of watching the Mets struggle for a long stretch in June while he was sidelined. 

“You want to help any way you can, but for me it was just waiting for my body to get to a better spot than it was,” Winker said. “But it’s part of the season.” 

Mendoza downplayed the fact that both Marte and Winker, who are ideally DHs, were placed on the IL after playing the outfield.

Marte started in left field on Sunday and Winker’s IL stint occurred after playing the field in St. Louis in early May. 

“I think it just happens,” Mendoza said. “It’s not the first time that Marte has played the outfield [this season], it’s just something he’s been dealing with,” Mendoza said. “Winker, we felt good with the progression, where he was at before going down. We felt good putting them in the outfield and it just happens.”