JUPITER, Fla. -- Despite concerns about a knee injury that forced him to leave Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Marlins, rising Mets star shortstop Amed Rosario is hopeful the ailment will not keep him out for long.
After being plunked by Marlins starter Jose Urena in the left hip during the second inning, Rosario left before the bottom of the third with what team officials called right knee irritation. Third baseman Phillip Evans slid over to shortstop to replace Rosario, 22, with David Thompson replacing Evans at the hot corner.
"It was during the sprint that I made from second base to home plate [in the second inning on Matthew Den Dekker's inning-ending groundout] that I felt something in my knee," Rosario said through a translator. "Thank God this is the first time this happened to me."
Rosario said he will see how he feels on Sunday before potentially undergoing an MRI. Prior to the injury, Rosario had three hits and an RBI in 12 at-bats this spring and is coming off a rookie season where he hit .248/.271/.394 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in 165 at-bats.
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As for the hip, Rosario said it felt good and he has "no problems."
"I didn't want to play with some pain," Rosario said. "It didn't go away, so that's when I [told the staff] there was something with my knee, and they made the decision to take me out of the game."
Camp battles
• Catcher Kevin Plawecki has spent the past week making a strong case for heavy playing time to start the regular season, and his 0-for-3 performance Saturday shouldn't hurt him too badly. Plawecki is still hitting .400 this spring and will continue to get at-bats in the coming days.
• Infielder Gavin Cecchini, who went 1-for-4 as the starting second baseman on Saturday, finds himself in a similar position as Plawecki. Cecchini is now hitting .455 and will push for a chance to make the Mets as a utility man -- a pursuit which may be helped if Rosario is held out of the lineup in the coming days.
• Mets manager Mickey Callaway has been vocal about a closer-by-committee approach, despite having two former All-Star firemen in Jeurys Familia and AJ Ramos. Familia allowed a hit in one scoreless inning, while Ramos retired all three batters he faced in order. 
Up next
The Mets will return to Port St. Lucie, Fla., for a Sunday afternoon showdown with the Nationals at 1:10 p.m. ET, live on MLB.TV. Steven Matz will start for the Mets, with left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins also scheduled to appear. Veteran right-hander Edwin Jackson will start for the Nationals.