It is an all-New York battle at Citi Field beginning this Tuesday night, as the New York Mets and the New York Yankees take on each other in the latest iteration of the Subway Series. While the series is expected to generate plenty of hype and attract a ton of attention, it's just another day (or days) in the office for designated hitter JD Martinez.

“I don’t think anything about that. They used to do this to me with the Yankees-Red Sox series. I am like, ‘Who is pitching and what does he throw?’ That is all I care about,” Martinez, who used to play for the Boston Red Sox said, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Martinez has seen a lot of Yankees in his career, especially since he played five seasons with the Red Sox from 2019 to 2021, during which he got three All-Star nods.

Outfielder Harrison Hader, however, had a sterner tone when asked about his thoughts in the upcoming series against his former club.

“Go out there and kick some a** – that is all there is to it,” Bader said, also via Puma.

Bader spent one-plus season with the Yankees from 2022 to 2023. He landed in the Bronx via a 2022 trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, who got Jordan Montgomery in return. He was put on waivers by the Yankees in 2023 before he got claimed by the Cincinnati Reds. In 98 total appearances for the Yankees, Bader hit .237/.274/.353 to go along with seven home runs, 46 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, and a 71 OPS+ across 359 plate appearances. After a stint in 2023 with the Reds, Bader signed a one-year deal with the Mets worth $10.5 million last January.

So far in the 2024 MLB season, the 30-year-old Bader is batting .268/.316/.388 with four home runs and 27 RBIs.

The Mets are looking to build momentum

New York Mets outfielder Harrison Bader (44) gestures after hitting a double against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field.
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Bader and the Mets are still trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by a bunch of games in the National League East standings. The Mets enter Tuesday's meeting with the Yankees with just a 37-39 record, good for only fourth in the division and behind the NL East-leading Phillies by 14 games.

However, the Mets have looked good of late. They have gone 9-2 in their last 11 games, a stretch that also saw them win seven contests in a row. The Mets are also coming off a 5-2 series-finale victory at Wrigley Field over the Chicago Cubs last Sunday. Their offense has been a big reason for their success lately. In fact, the Mets are fourth overall in the big leagues in the last 15 days with a .281 batting average and second with an .853 OPS over the same stretch.

David Peterson is slated to start for the Mets on the mound in Game 1 of the Subway Series, while Sean Manaea takes over the mound in Game 2 on Wednesday. Peterson is 3-0 with a 3.97 ERA through four starts this season. Manaea, on the other hand, carries a 4-3 record and a 4.16 ERA across 14 starts.

The Mets appear to be catching the Yankees at a good time. The Bronx Bombers, who are leading the American League East division with a 52-28 record entering the Mets series, are not in terrific form, having lost four of their last five outings. They will be giving the ball to six-time All-Star Gerrit Cole for the series opener versus the Mets which would be just his second start of the season.