PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The first notable injury of Mets camp has struck. Infielder Jed Lowrie, one of the team’s major offseason acquisitions, has been limited in the opening days of full-squad workouts due to a bout of soreness behind his left knee.

Lowrie first began experiencing discomfort shortly after reporting to Port St. Lucie, when he started to attempt “high-explosive stuff” like sprinting, starting and stopping at full speed. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday.

When asked about his concern level, Lowrie responded: “It’s a good question. We need to figure out what’s going on first, before we start worrying about how concerned I am.”

With more than five weeks remaining until Opening Day, the Mets have reason to believe Lowrie will be just fine for the beginning of the season. He told Mets officials he only requires about 40 plate appearances to feel prepared for the season, which he could accumulate in fewer than two weeks, if need be.

The Mets are hopeful a few days of rest will be all Lowrie needs to recover.

“That’s something we don’t know,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “We can’t speculate on that. But our goal right now is to make sure he’s ready for the first game of the season, and that’s why we’re kind of being cautious.”

A late offseason addition to New York’s infield mix, Lowrie hit .267 with 23 home runs in 157 games for the A’s last season, after playing in 153 games the previous year. He profiles as the team’s everyday third baseman, but could also see time at second and short.

If Lowrie misses any time during the season, Todd Frazier would slide back to third base, where he started most of last year, leaving Peter Alonso or Dominic Smith to play first. Jeff McNeil and Adeiny Hechavarria are also capable of manning third base.

Media mogul

Causing a stir at Mets camp on Wednesday was Alex Rodriguez, who came to town as part of his duties with ESPN. As he strolled between back fields, Rodriguez stopped to chat with Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, outfielder Tim Tebow and his longtime Yankees teammate, Robinson Cano, among others. Tebow said he received some swing advice from Rodriguez, whom he called “one of the best ever to do it.”

Callaway has a unique perspective on Rodriguez, having played against him on travel teams in his youth, and with him on the 2003 Rangers.

“A-Rod’s a great guy,” Callaway said. “This guy knows all about baseball. His whole life has always been about baseball.”

Slithering around

The other commotion on the back fields Wednesday came courtesy of a two-foot black snake, which slithered its way onto the bottom of a dugout bench. Several players took interest, including Michael Conforto, who examined it for a moment before giving the reptile a wide berth.

J.D. Davis and Luis Guillorme picked up the bench to shake the snake loose, before a member of the grounds crew finally caught it and drove it off the premises on a golf cart.

News and notes

• Three days after facing Jacob deGrom in live batting practice, Peter Alonso took his hacks Wednesday against Noah Syndergaard.

“Both of them looked really sharp,” Alonso said. “deGrom, he’s a Cy Young. But Noah looked really sharp today. Both looked really, really, really good.”

• Left-hander Hector Santiago, a bullpen candidate whom the Mets also see as rotation depth, will follow rookie Walker Lockett on the mound Saturday in the Mets’ Grapefruit League opener.