Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard will be shut down from throwing for the next six weeks due to inflammation in his right elbow, manager Luis Rojas announced to reporters Thursday (Twitter link via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com).
Syndergaard, who is working his way back from 2020 Tommy John surgery, exited his most recent minor league rehab start due to elbow discomfort. Tests did not reveal any damage to Syndergaard’s ulnar collateral ligament, but today’s announcement still marks a substantial setback. He’ll need to build back up once he resumes throwing in mid-July, meaning the earliest he’d be able to return to the big league rotation is likely some point in August.
The Syndergaard setback is the latest in a rather remarkable deluge of injuries the organization is attempting to weather. While the pitching staff hasn’t been hit as hard as the lineup, the looming promise of a Syndergaard return nevertheless stood as a potential boon for the club as it tries to patch the roster together while a whopping 17 players are on the injured list.
The Mets’ rotation has been excellent, anchored by yet another dominant performance from two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. Mets starters have pitched to a collective 2.94 ERA on the season, ranking fifth in baseball. They also have the game’s fifth-best strikeout percentage (28.1 percent) and the seventh-lowest walk percentage (7.1 percent).
That said, it’s been a top-heavy group. Each of deGrom, Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman has turned in a sub-3.00 ERA (sub-1.00, in deGrom’s case), but young David Peterson has worked to a 4.91 mark in 44 innings while the fifth spot has been a revolving door. Carlos Carrasco, like Syndergaard, has yet to pitch this season and is said to still be “weeks” away from his potential Mets debut, and another rotation option, Jordan Yamamoto, was placed on the 60-day injured list yesterday.
The setback, of course, is worrisome for Syndergaard on a personal level as well. He’s in his final season of club control and was already facing a best-case scenario of just under four months to showcase his health in advance of free agency. He could now be looking at closer to a six-week audition window — perhaps longer if the Mets reach the postseason.
good god….
Might as well make him a reliever, assuming the Mets can survive long enough with the AAA roster they have now.
The Mets are the injury kings of 2021! Maybe all time. Can anyone think of a team with more injuries during a single season?
The Yankees in 2019 were on par…
Not really on par. But they did get injured a lot.
Yankees placed 30 players on the IL in ’19. Mets currently have around half of that. Math is hard.
It’s only May
The Mets currently have 17 players on the IL and its only the end of May. It stands to reason they may pass the 30 the Yankees placed on the IL in 2019
The ’19 Yanks set numerous unwanted MLB records; total IL placements, total days on IL, salary (of course, uh?) on IL, & projected WAR on IL.
That all being acknowledged, I have a feeling that the Mets are going to break (shatter?) those. Going through something like this will certainly test a ballclub’s depth & resiliency.
Mets are getting absolutely walloped with injuries right now.
Math is hard. But for you. The Mets are on pace to beat the Yankees record of 30 …. Its only may…
I like how you turned it into a competition.
@ducky i have a feeling that every mlb club is going to shatter the 19/20 nyy on injuries this season. it feels like everyone is playing with a aaaa team and who has the better depth is going to win the ws even if there not really a ws team to begin with.
Mets are at 16 and counting. Not even a full two months with four more to go.
Dodgers are at 15 and making no excuses…Yet.
@brodie
I keep wondering what our teams are going to look like in September. At this rate it’ll be pretty ugly stuff.
21’ are on their way….
I read somewhere recently – I think FanGraphs – that the Mets actually are second in expected WAR lost to the IL so far this year. The article didn’t say what team was first, and I’d really like to know what team it is. It’s possible Syndergaard wasn’t expected to contribute much this year, but that’s only a small part of their maladies.
@gbs42 Dodgers are first.
Dodgers?
@vtadave Most WAR lost due to injury.
2020 49ers
@rodcannon The Dodgers are trying to catch up to the Mets in terms on injuries. Only 2-3 behind.
Yeah, the Dodgers just have injuries to some more significant players.
The calculation needs to be weighted by how long a player is expected to be out. A 5 WAR player out for a week is not the same as a 2 WAR player out for two months. I realize it’s estimated but it’s still more informative.
@whyhayzee Absolutely. It’s a stat better determined at the end of the season.
Then you get to add those wins back? 😉
Haha. I wish. I just mean it’s hard to tell how many games players are going to miss until said games are played.
@rodcannon
2020 Marlins. You know…a team in your own division.
@marlinsfanbase
Pretty sure he’s talking about teams that people pay attention to. You know the ones that have actual fan support and sell tickets.
@sfes
In other words, look for any BS point to dismiss facts that contradict the fictional Mets Hyperbole efforts.
i know the nym are trying to win this year and degrom is a big part of that but i’m wondering if it would be better to just shut degrom down till aug or until next year. just of tjs and his arm is sore already, just sounds like to me he just wasn’t ready for 21. also if your going to shut him down you also take all of his bb away and give him some “man sodas” instead and say all your doing until aug is sitting on the couch and heal.
i just realized i got pitchers mixed up, i meant thor should be shut down for a min. if i’m not mistaken degrom is also a bit sore too. i apologize about the mix up either way i feel both pitchers are important for the mets, especially if they want to play deep into oct.
Don’t you just hate those mistakes? Personally, I can’t even stand my own typos in general, but especially left unnoticed until the edit period has passed.
It’s TJS recovery. You never know how it’s going to go
Yep. It takes 12-to-18 months’ recovery time so this is more of a delay rather than setback in a general sense.
Awful news. Lindor might’ve been the smart one to nail down his extension. Thor and Conforto could have difficulty in free agency coming off injury filled seasons.
Noah probably comes back on a QO.
Can a team offer multiple QOs in one off-season? I could see both getting the QO.
They can issue as many as they for those eligible.
Only smart thing for him to do
The Mets would be division champs in the East, West, South, and North if they were healthy.
3 best records in baseball are in the nl west right now – so maybe not.
When manager Luis Rojas was asked about Thor’s setback, his response: “This happening is tough. … We pray he can pitch for us this year.”
Good grief.
In the NFL? Don’t know where you are getting “North” from. Also, the Mets have a lot of injuries, but other than DeGrom recently, the majority of those players aren’t exactly top-tier guys. The Mets would definitely not win the NL West if they were 100% healthy and teams like the Dodgers were also still dealing with a lot of injuries, (some to top-tier guys, btw). Mets fans, especially relatively recently, have shown themselves to be quite delusional often. Not all of them, of course, but many.
I think that was sarcasm.
Alonso, mcneil, Conforto, corasco, lugo, noah, nimmo, Davis, aren’t too tier players? They may not be hall of farmers but they are their starting roster so in sense yes, they are their top tier players. In nearly every single position. It’s absurd and unheard of.
I think the Mets are in the hall of farmers. They could be in one of their commercials.
One who just came back from the IL is on the path to the HOF.
Just being in the Mets starting day lineup does not make them top tier players in the league.
What classifies top tier to you then? Just mvp winners? Your top tier arguments make no sense. If they are a starting player to a team, they are that teams top tier players. Nothing else matters to a team. Just because they aren’t trout or Betts doesn’t matter to the mets. 6/8 of their top tier players are hurt.
“In the league.” I thought that was stated quite clearly.
I have no bone in this argument. I’m just here to say “findingnimmo” is a fantastic username.
I don’t think anyone of the injured Mets players are nearly as good as Seeger or Belli.
Dodgers have lost more war this year than the Mets. So no.
Somewhere Ray Ramirez laughs maniacally
Probably Mickey Callaway too.
Don’t think Mickey is doing a lot of laughing these days.
He may be relearning Korean if the KBO will take him back.
The biggest winner is still…Bobby Bonilla.
Bobby Bonilla is a financial genius. Who’d have figured his deferred payment plan would be the highlight of his Mets career and that he would be a Madoff winner.
God I remember watching on TV when he dove for a fly ball in RF and broke his ribs. Even childhood memories are painful for a Mets fan.
Maybe they should activate Bonilla. He’s already on the payroll and can’t be any worse than the guys already in the lineup
I was on a family trip to Pittsburgh (dad and oldest brother are Pirates fans) to see the Mets and Pirates play. I was devastated that Bobby Bo was hurt.
there many teams still making deferred payments to past players. the Yankees are still paying 31 million combined to A-Rod and Ellsbury, for example.
And the hits just keep coming, but not from Lindor.
Thor should be Mets closer when he comes back. Met fans quit your complaining about Lindor. The Mets probably should of traded for Mookie. That’s the one player the Mets let get away.
The Mets have arguably the best closer in baseball this season in Diaz. Also, Thor wants a big payday. He will not settle for a bullpen role.
Wait, who is trying to make the argument that Diaz is the best closer this year?
@1984wasntamanual He’s been pretty lights out.
And there are multiple closers that have been better…so it’s still a pretty poor argument to make.
@1984wasntamanual I’m not arguing for him. I’m just saying he’s been very good. I was perhaps too hyperbolic there, but Diaz is right there in the 2nd tier crop of relievers. Makes no sense for the Mets to change closers when they have a very good one already.
Mets weren’t trading for Mookie unless they were going for the title and there is no guarantee he would resign with them. Their fans have every right to complain about Lindor just as much as you about the Yankees all the time.
Hell, Mookie Wilson would be a help at this point. But yes, they should have made that move.
good things happen when the mets have a mookie
imo i think lindor is just pressing to much and is trying to hard to be a superstar, big blockbuster deal and 300+ contract. tbh i think maybe lindor need’s a 10 day dl stint to just relax and chill and not think about bb for a week and some change. then come back and just go back to playing his game that got him to the bigs and then one of the most dynamic players in the game. in short i think lindor’s problems are all mental he is too good to be playing this bad atm.
“Tests did not reveal any damage to Syndergaard’s ulnar collateral ligament, but today’s announcement still marks a substantial setback.”
MLB has managed to destroy the efficacy of TJ surgery by demanding all pitchers to throw 100 MPH.
Nobody is making demands. These players are competitors. With their gifted talents, would they rather be a $$$$$ front-end starter or a $ soft-tossing journeyman?
Actually, the game is demanding it. First with MLB sanctioned and celebrated PED use. That’s what drove pitchers to use, they were getting clobbered. Then they shriveled up the strike zone to the size of a PED users balls. Then they juiced the balls. So you had no choice but to spin the heck out of the baseball or to try and throw it 100 MPH. Baseball has willfully and purposefully stomped all over the health of pitchers, arguably the most important people on the field. Yes, they have been demanded.
And yet with all the offense continues to decline soooo really what’s your point here.
I understand your point but players are fungible commodities and team owners only care about their bottom lines. As long as revenues keep increasing, the MLB system will keep evolving for better or worse. Today’s game is the game so do or die pushing athletes to their highest limits. The players’ union can only do so much.
The NFL didn’t care about CTE which is far worse until teams started getting sued and costing them money.
@whyhayzee i would argue offspeed pitches are worse on your elbow than just throwing heat. the tourqe put on your arm to throw a curve is worse, but i will agree this “max effort” all the time isn’t good either. other than a handful of guy’s the mlb is filled with throwers not pitchers, that’s why i think we’re seeing so many walks and hit batters, most pitchers now remind me of charlie shean from ml.
The Mets IL list: you can check in anytime you like but you can never leave
Love this lol
we haven’t had that spirit here since 1969 (and 1986)
@MrMet62
Funny.
I think if anyone is trying to get rid of household insects infestations or your typical NY Rat, I think you can send them to the Mets medical team. That’ll do it.
Steve Cohen may have deep pockets to pay better players for longer, but there’s still some seriously bad juju lingering around the club. Did Jeff steal Jobu’s rum before they left?
Maybe they simply need better hats for bats, you know, to keep bats warm….
He stole JoBu’s SS.
I’m not super familiar with TJS recovery, is getting shut down for 6 weeks for inflammation the normal amount of time when you deal with that?
It may be caused by scar tissue, not uncommon after TJ surgery.
Is that the normal amount of time for scar tissue? Does it need to be removed?
@meckert
Being shut down for 6 weeks during recovery, even with scar tissue, is uncommon.
Yeah, I agree..6 weeks is a relatively long time that isn’t really common at all among players going through a normal recovery process after TJS. Seems like a red flag.
@1984 it’s not uncommon to have setbacks on any type of surgery especially if your a pro athlete. iirc degrom had tjs in st of 20 and given it’s a 12 to 18 month time table even then most pitchers yo yo in performance. i remember when wanio came back in 12 after tjs one game he looked like the best pitcher in the mlb the next looked like he never pitched a day in his life. tjs is a tricky outcome to predict everyone heals differently and also there is the mental side of it too.
The Cubs have Davies and Bryant ready to send to the Metropolitans. Just saying.
Sure, but be ready not to expect much in return. At some point these 17 players will return and they still have to be paid.
And they have no healthy players to trade in return lol
The Cubs are a half-game out of first. Why would they trade Bryant and Davies? Teams aren’t sitting around wondering how they can help the Metrs.
@cey i could see the cubs selling at the deadline if there not running away with the division and feel like they can’t resign them. tbh i see this as an evaluation year for the cubs to see what they have and what they can get. as cards fan i think jed is playing it smart up in chi fixing the hole theo put them in. if he’s plays his cards right cubs could be a serious contender in a year or two with room and prospects to trade.
And why would the 1st place Cubs be trading away players?
Braves have just as many injuries. Even without any of these players being injured the Mets are dead last in runs scores.
6 of the Mets 8 opening day hitters are out right now, with the sole survivors being the 2 everyone wishes would get pulled from the lineup
No team is going through what the Mets are going through right now
Last in runs because fewest games played?
Mets struggled offensively before the injuries, and managed a paltry 4 wins against teams with an above .500 record. 11 losses. The injuries are preventing the Mets from showing us who they really are, but we have to admit the Mets were playing bad baseball beforehand. I admit, the on paper talent is there when healthy, but their lineup was an absolute mess even with everyone back.
Yes true. But this is epic on all fronts, the Injuries, the lack of homeruns, the Lindor McCann lack of hitting, the days off in April from covid and weather, it’s just been a disaster and somehow someway they are hanging on to first place still.
@findingnimmo Quite simply because every team in the NL East has been a disaster. Huge injuries all around, obviously the Mets have been hit the hardest, but we got some HUGE names on other teams who’ve missed significant time. Braves pitching is coming around though, so I expect a major run soon. Marlins have been consistent so they have a shot as well. Phillies are playing their worst baseball. Injuries are a big part of that, but they’ve been pathetic all around. Nats seem to be struggling as well.
“Somehow someway” is easily explained. The division is comprised of teams that are mediocre, at best.. I would say just bad as a whole.
Again, I doubt you can compare anything to what the Mets have been doing so far this year, look at their starting roster for this double header. Please tell me scraping together a 1-0 win in game one on a perraza hr and two other hits isn’t “somehow someway.” That roster is in first place. And it doesn’t matter who they play “with their weak schedule.” All that matters is this ridiculous rostered team is in first place.
@findingnimmo I think the reason why is because the Mets strength has been their starting pitching. They didn’t lose deGrom for too long. Losing Walker hurt big time, but the bullpen and other pitchers have been keeping other teams from scoring. And yes, the Mets injuries make their lineup pathetic, but it was under performing to begin with. So the Mets are still able to scrape out wins…which is what good teams do. This team has a lot of fight. I know the Rockies are bad, but the Mets just swept a double header with backups. That’s a big deal. The pitching is holding the fort. The calvary will arrive eventually. Maybe the Mets can hold on to win. We’ll see.
Well said
In first place because they are in a weak division. That isn’t just about who they have faced head-to-head, but about the records of the rest of the teams in the division. Of course they are in first place in the NL East…none of the other teams are even above .500. In any other division, they would be 3rd or 4th. The Mets have a lot of injuries, yea, but most of their injuries have been to players who are decent at best, and not many who are exceptional. Of course, deGrom is an exception, but the bottom line is that a completely healthy Mets team this season would not be nearly as good as their fans try to make them out to be. Many Mets fans seem to think they are contenders for the World Series title, (some even going so far as to say they should start designing the rings, but that was back when they were sure they were getting Bauer, among other players), but the reality is that they may or may not even make the playoffs, and the only reason they will have a shot this season is because the rest of the division is just as mediocre. I think it is safe to say they better win the division because the NL East is unlikely to provide competition for a Wild Card spot.
I don’t think as many fans as you think thought we were getting Bauer. At least half of us never wanted him.
I do not understand why the Mets don’t release Cameron Maybin and select Mason Williams from Syracuse. Cameron was showing that he couldn’t hit Triple-A pitching before the Mets acquired him. And Mason Williams has hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games, and can Play Centerfield. Not a power threat, but he is ready and the Mets sit and watch a hole in their lineup day after day. At some point their luck will run out with him in their lineup.
I like Maybin but his release is certainly coming. The experiment is over, so to speak
And first in the standings
“Braves have just as many injuries.”
No, they haven’t. 3/5 of the rotation is out (and that’s with deGrom just returning; 2/5 have not thrown a pitch all year). 5/8 of their optimal lineup is out (only Lindor, Dom Smith, and McCann are healthy). Plus Lugo is out as well as several backups.
They’re running guys like Cameron Maybin and Patrick Mazeika and Johneshwy Fargas (well, not anymore; he’s out, too) out there. Braves have had some injuries, but the Mets are king.
Unfortunately, the Braves will be without Ozuna for an injury and non-injury reason. AA is going to have to get creative to keep this on an upward path, but he may catch a break if Ozuna is suspended without pay, for he won’t count on the payroll and that nay give him an opportunity to trade for a decent layer on a decent contract form elsewhere.
The Mets are the Worst 1st Place Team that I have ever seen probably due to their pitching, their easy schedule, and pure luck. The June swoon is on the horizon and they will be tanking soon. This ship be sinking fast.
@Robrock,You’re not wrong. Mets are 4-11 against winning teams, and they’ve been beating bad teams by 1 or 2 runs. Add that with the horrific injury luck, and this team should be dropping fast, but honestly, I only see Atlanta and perhaps MIA passing them. Phillies and Nats stink.
Von,
I assume you are a Jimi Hendrix fan as am I.
The Mets are done. Stick a fork in them now.
@Robrock I like to think everyone is a Hendrix fan. It’s not looking good for the Mets, I agree, but if somehow they come back strong and healthy, maybe they will magically start hitting. Who knows?
@rob and von how can anyone who listens to rock not listen to jimmi, what jimmi does on a guitar is just pure magic, lol only chuck norris, jimmi and page could beat the devil in a rock off.
@brodie-bruce well said my man!
@von tyty we all might root for different teams but we all root for the legends of rock
Unfortunately I never watched Hendrix nor Page play live. I have seen several of the greats Carlos Santana, Greg Lake, Steve Howe, Leslie West, Lindsey Buckingham, Steve Lukather, Keith Richards, and others.
Maybe Atlanta. But the marlins have a 0 chance to pass us. Regardless of the injuries. They are garbage.
@MetsFan22
Yeah, make sure the Marlins get that memo. Considering that they are 6 and 2 with the Mets getting an additional win from Ron Kulpa, it seems that the Marlins haven’t gotten that memo.
What does that say about your team when they haven’t been able to beat the Marlins in that recent period, which includes when your team has been healthy?
Hate to hear this. As a Braves fan it helps us but you never like to see stars hurt. The game overall is better with Thor.
This is utterly depressing. Who knows, maybe now they’ll consider adding Kyle Gibson at the deadline? It would give them leeway to let go of one of their starters like Stroman or Syndergaard in free agency and still have a great arm in the rotation to replace them (Gibson). He’s yet another one of JD’s terrific three year pitcher deals, and he still has one more year left on his contract.
The playoff rotation would – hopefully – look like this:
Degrom
Stroman
Walker
Syndergaard
Gibson
With Carrasco and Peterson working as spot starters or LRs, that’d be a nasty bunch. Take away either Stroman or Syndergaard in 2022, and you’ve still got good depth and a terrific (and cheap) pitcher in Gibson to fill the void.
Given that Gibson is currently on the IL i suppose he’ll fit right in
It’s a groin strain that will make him miss just one start, and he pitched through it in his last outing. He’s fine.
Mets put Maybin, whom they picked up a few days prior for $1, in the 3-hole, like he’d won a ballpark raffle to play for the Mets. They’re currently using C Nido and putting McCann at 1B, who had never played there at any pro level, just to keep his .196 bat in the lineup. They’re #5 in MLB in starter’s ERA with deGrom/Taijuan Walker missing a few starts and nothing to show of Carrasco, Thor. Their starter run support, however, ranks 29 of 30 in MLB — while you can never have enough pitching – maybe focus the resources anywhere else right now. Gallo would look like Gwynn in that lineup right now.
At the Mets current rate of injuries i half expect at some point we may see an Outfield of Kevin McReynolds, Lenny Dykstra, and Mark Carreon. Howard Johnson at 3B, Tim Teufel at 2B, and Keith Hernandez at 1B with Frank Viola on the mound
Whatever the heck happens please for the love of everything holy do not let that psychopathic trash Lenny Dykstra anywhere near anything
The best OF the Mets ever had was ’86 with what I refer to as the MVPs: Kevin Mitchell LF ’89 MVP, Lenny Dykstra CF ’93 MVP (2nd) would have been WS MVP except for Mitch Williams, & Darryl Strawberry ’88 MVP (2nd) he was robbed.
Strawberry wasn’t jobbed. Kirk Gibson was one of the easiest MVP choices ever. He single-handedly transformed Lasorda’s losing culture in Los Angeles. Tommy Lasorda owed his Hall of Fame plaque to Gibson. Tommy was a terrible manager. The Dodgers should have fired him a couple of years earlier. Gibson’s impact on that championship team was enormous.
Kirk Gibson’s HR in the WS was probably the most heroic feat I have seen in baseball. Strawberry carried the Mets in ’88 and his stats were superior to Gibson’s during the regular season. I believe that Kevin McReynolds who was 3rd in the MVP balloting split Strawberry’s vote and cost him the MVP.
As a Met fan of a certain age the ball going under Buckners legs is pretty much the best…, I’d say next is Ozzies homer vs the Dodgers but then, Kirk limping around the bases would be after that. (And fourth place belongs to Joe Carter).
I watched the Bill Buckner ball under his legs and that was my most enjoyable WS play. I was watching on TV and screaming at the top of my lungs. Chicago columnist Mike Royko called it beforehand as the ex -Cub factor. The Mets were Cub free while the Sox had Bill Buckner so he called that the Mets would win the WS.
I went on after the ’86 Season to purchase full Mets season tickets from ’87 through ’93, so I was at Shea watching the Mets – Dodgers NLCS Columbus Day weekend taking it all in which was intense.
@cosmo both hr are legendary gibby needing a walker just to get to the plate (that’s a joke on how beat up gibby was at the time of the hr) but i’m biased on ozzie’s hr because he was a card, but it’s his only hr he ever hit left handed and i’m pretty sure officially it doesn’t count because it was in the playoffs but i still count it.
@robrock30 tbh my favorite playoff game was the pitchers dual of carp and doc (i was in diapers during the 80’s so i missed that time ; ; ) but in that 11 nlds i watched 2 aces end there careers that night just to win and imo both of them guys deserve to be in the hall.
Brodie-bruce,
Doc is and was great! I have met him and discussed his pitching highlights and lows including the Mike Scioscia HR Sunday night at Shea NLCS which I attended live.
I am blessed in that I grew up in 60s watching the ’69 & ’73 Mets with Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Jon Matlack and Jerry Koosman. I then left for University in Chicago and watched mostly White Sox and then returned to New York in ’83 along with Strawberry to catch the ’86 Championship.
Wheeler had TJ surgery in 2015, was out until 2017 & really wasn’t effective until the 2nd half of 2018, so recovery time is not automatically 12-15 months.
Been a MLB fan for more than a half century. I cannot remember when injuries were so much a part of the game. Do you suppose today’s players are spending too much time conditioning themselves to play?
The pandemic has obviously been a huge factor. Trips to the IL are more than double what they were in 2018 and 2019. Yes, too much non-baseball conditioning. Guys had too much time off to work out alone.
Nah, I blame video games (Luzardo), the strength of pine over oak benches (Ynoa), toxic masculinity: ask your bro to blow in your eye to get the eyelash out (Keirmaier), and Nike not being able to manufacture in sweat shops where their undershirts are too well made causing a thumb fracture when aggressively-removed (Plesac).
RunDMC, Syndergaard should provide instruction to Plesac on how to properly remove one’s shirt. Gonna be an interesting free agency for Thor. Someone will give him the money. I doubt he accepts a QO.
Too early to call AA’s 2022 free agent pillow contract recipient?
Well, we do live in a 24/7 news cycle now plus social media where every injury for everyone is reported. Back in the days, it was either the radio or newspapers reporting with limited air-time/print space. Most of us wouldn’t be as knowledgeable of other teams’ current rosters. Some of them faded into disabled list oblivion and were easily forgotten never to be heard from again. It’s a good question.
Except data tells us players are going to the IL in record numbers. And it figures to get worse, not better. All that time off away from baseball has taken its toll. There should have been a longer spring training and a shorter regular season, say 120 games. Baseball is a daily grind and is more difficult to play than the other team sports. Actual baseball training is more important than working out in the weight room.
Not disagreeing with what you’ve said, but the shorter DL requirement has probably added to the number of players that get put on it when they would have otherwise just sat out
Having been injured in the past makes a player more likely to be injured in the future, for many reasons. So unfortunately all the injuries this year just make more injuries likely next year. Might take a generation to develop healthy players.
Personally I think the way they do spring training these days illustrates the problem: they play guys every other day for 5 innings and limit the starters to 70 pitches to “protect” them, so they’re not prepared for full length games when the season starts. Get them in a string of full games / throwing 110 pitches when it doesn’t count so they can back off if they feel anything, instead of having their first time being when they’ll want to push through it to win a game.
smuzqwpdmx, excellent point about spring training. Remember the old days when there was winter ball and guys played it to supplement their income? One would think that playing baseball year-round would wear guys down, but the opposite proved true. They were more durable because they were in baseball shape. I don’t remember who it was, but years ago someone in baseball said this would happen when agents took more control over players’ careers. They pushed to have their clients protected and teams complied. Someone in baseball needs to figure this out because injury fatigue is wearing on the fans who keep the game afloat. It is no fun watching guys pull up lame game after game.
This rotation will be really good come February!
Hey, they won 1st game of double header today, shut out Rockies for the 7 innings AND scored their one run. Good thing it was a shutout I guess. 1-0 games are supposed to be exciting, But it seems t hats the only way they will win. Though on plus side no one got injured.
Seems to me it would benefit both sides to sign a one year, inventive laden extension right now, so that both sides are fully incentived to not rush him back.
Thor will get a minimum 15m (very likely much higher) multi year offer in the winter if he ends up healthy. He would be a fool to not gamble unless he has significant belief he is not going to be ready next year.
You know, if this kind of thing happens one year you’re unlucky. If this sort of thing happens to your team year after year..like the Mets..you have to start wondering if there is something in the organization that needs to change.
Shocking. PED’s come with a downside.
I think MLB needs to investigate. Syndergaard may have been getting tips from the Yankee training and conditioning staff on the sly.
The curse of throwing at Alcides Escobar.
Goodnight Irene
Thats goodnight Gracie. (Showing my age)
Chris Flexen threw a shutout yesterday. Just saying.
Is that the start after the start in which he gave up 8ER in 1.2IP?
:-0)
I do not understand why the Mets don’t release Cameron Maybin and select Mason Williams from Syracuse. Cameron was showing that he couldn’t hit Triple-A pitching before the Mets acquired him. And Mason Williams has hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games, and can Play Centerfield. Not a power threat, but he is ready and the Mets sit and watch a hole in their lineup day after day. At some point their luck will run out with him in their lineup.
@imissjoebuzas More Alderson nonsense. Can you imagine an authentic contender leaving in a guy who is currently 1 for 28 and who K’s in 50% of his PA?
The incompetence the Mets routinely show will only be addressed with Alderson’s departure. Whatever Cohen’s strengths are, they don’t include finding solid administrative talent.
I seriously doubt you could put together an over .500 team with the injuries they have had. Give some credit to Rojas for keeping the thing going with 17 guys on the IL, including 7 of the 9 Opening Day starters. Sandy Alderson found staring pitching and a decent deep bullpen, and also put depth on the bench and in the minor leagues to keep this thing going, because it is that depth that is being relied upon now. The Dodgers have had a lot of important players get injured, and their young minor league depth has helped keep them winning. Sandy saw no young depth, so he brought in vets for the bench and for Syracuse.
Haven’t the Mets had the same lead doctor serving as their “Medical Director” since the 1990s?
—Dr. David Altchek has been working with the Mets since at least as far back as 1992. Given their usual run with injuries, how is it Altchek still has a job with them?
—The Mets apparently still have Mike Barwis with them, acc to his LinkedIn page. He’s the guy who helped Syndergaard add 17 lbs the offseason before he missed most of the year with a muscle tear, and ‘helped’ Cespedes w his leg problems.