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PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets are planning to start the season without last year’s ace. 

Sean Manaea has been shut down from throwing for at least “a couple of weeks,” according to manager Carlos Mendoza, with a right oblique strain.

Manaea felt discomfort in the oblique early in camp, but continued throwing.

After the discomfort continued, Manaea alerted team officials and was sent for an MRI exam that found the strain. 

“It never really got any better and never really got worse,” Manaea said Monday. “It kind of plateaued. The worst part is that it never got any better over the last couple of weeks. I have been throwing, pitching, and the recovery hasn’t been the greatest in between so I said something.” 

Manaea will need a full buildup once he returns to throwing, putting him on a mid-to-late April schedule for a return to the rotation. 

“From my end it’s very disappointing,” Manaea said. “I hate being injured and not out there pitching, doing my job. I am going to do everything I can to get out there as healthy and quick as possible. It still doesn’t mask the fact how disappointed I am. I thought I was doing everything I could this offseason to train and it just kind of popped up. That being said, I would rather miss a couple of weeks now, at the beginning of the season, instead of doing something and potentially missing more time.” 

The lefty is the second starting pitcher the Mets have shut down since the start of camp.

Last week Frankie Montas was diagnosed with a high-grade lat strain that will sideline him from throwing until at least the end of spring training.

Montas would also need a full spring training buildup once he resumes throwing, meaning he wouldn’t pitch for the Mets before mid-May. 

“You hate to see it, especially before we get to March, two of your guys are going down,” Mendoza said. “But we have been talking about our depth and here we are getting tested.” 

Manaea returned on a three-year contract worth $75 million after emerging as the Mets’ top starting pitcher last season. Manaea pitched to a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts for the team. 

It leaves the Mets with Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Griffin Canning, Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn as the main starting rotation options to begin the season. 

Mendoza had originally planned for a six-man rotation to begin the season, but reconsidered following Montas’ injury and now expects to open with a traditional five-man set, given the number of scheduled off days the Mets have early in the season — and the inevitable April postponement or two. 

Team officials haven’t shown any inclination to add an available free agent, most notably Jose Quintana — who spent the past two seasons with the Mets. 

Jose Butto began last season as a starter, but switched to the bullpen at midseason and thrived in that role.

The Mets are in no hurry to move Butto back into the rotation as they look for him to continue as a multi-inning relief option. 

The Mets’ next wave of depth behind Megill and Blackburn includes names such as Justin Hagenman and Brandon Waddell.

The Mets also have prospects Brandon Sproat and Blade Tidwell in camp. 

“We are excited about those two and there is a reason they are here in big league camp as well,” Mendoza said. “But that is what we keep saying: We like what we have internally.”