Mets left-hander Joey Lucchesi has been diagnosed with a complete tear of the UCL in his throwing elbow, Laura Albanese of Newsday was among those to relay (Twitter link). He’ll undergo Tommy John surgery this week. Obviously, Lucchesi is done for the rest of 2021 and will miss most or all of the 2022 campaign.
New York acquired the 28-year-old from the Padres last winter as part of the three-team deal that sent Joe Musgrove to San Diego. He made eleven appearances (eight starts) in his debut campaign with the Mets, pitching to a 4.46 ERA but posting stronger underlying numbers. Lucchesi punched out an above-average 26.1% of opposing hitters while walking only 7.0%. Those positive strikeout and walk rates contributed to a much better 3.74 SIERA, his lowest mark since his 2018 rookie campaign with the Friars (when he posted a 3.64).
Today’s news isn’t unexpected, since Lucchesi was diagnosed with a significant UCL tear yesterday. It’s nevertheless a disappointing development for a New York staff that is still without Carlos Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard as they recover from long-term injuries. The Mets have gotten very strong work from Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker this year, but David Peterson has struggled. Jerad Eickhoff, recently selected to the MLB roster, might be the favorite to assume Lucchesi’s spot in the rotation for now.
It remains to be seen whether this will mark the end of Lucchesi’s Mets tenure. New York can place him on the 60-day injured list for the remainder of the season, but players must be reinstated from the IL during the offseason. New York will have to decide whether it’s worth tendering Lucchesi a contract and carrying him on the 40-man roster all winter. He’ll eclipse three years of MLB service during his IL stint, so Lucchesi will be eligible for arbitration for the first time. If the Mets do tender him a contract with an eye toward a potential late-2022 or 2023 return, Lucchesi would be controllable through the end of the 2024 season.
Same old Mets.
Yes, because baseball long ago figured out how to prevent these injuries but the Mets just ignore everyone else’s vast knowledge and experience..
There was one epic (un)spectacular year.
But previous owner so “doesnt count” i guess?
Tommy is at it again
Tragic
degrom had TJ before,
Look now. Hardly “tragic”
Some, like Eovaldi, had tj 2x
Only thing “tragic” is timing
Some people make it and some don’t. It’s just tragic of the fact that anyone should have to lose that much time on an injury.
Sorry to hear, hope he recovers quickly.
Still in first and that won’t change.
Disagree,
Mirage, only thing real about Mets: is Lindor’s BA
He’s had a great June and the Mets have the best pitching in baseball and just got McNeil and Conforto back….don’t know what the mirage is except your baseball knowledge
Yess… The NY Metropolitans. LMAOO.
“Mets are back”
Yankee fans must be shaking on their boots. Better chance Yankees usurp Rays&Bosox ^^^
and finish first in THEIR division! Mets may have the new worst mlb contract, hasnt even begun yet
The worst contract is the judge one. Once the Yankees give it to them it will be the new Stanton situation.
Thanks, Captain hindsight man.
Judge currently leads AL OF in All Star voting.
The Lindor contract is gonna be a real ball and chain for sure, but no way it’s ever as bad as the Chris Davis. Plus, Mets in first place, injured players coming back… things look good. Fans of other teams can pretend otherwise, but the Mets look good right now.
Mets fans celebrating in June….Yaaaaaaaawn….
In other news, I really hate these contract discussion because it reminds me of the transaction that causes us Marlins fans so much pain. It reminds me of how awful it has been for Jeter to gift Stanton to the Yankees.
Your first statement is your usual mis-info… no one is celebrating, just mentioning to the doubters that we are in first place right now, things looking good… your second statement is wonderfully sarcastic.
That pointing it out may work on opposing fans and doubters that have only been watching baseball for 5 minutes, but for fans like myself, who have seen the Mets leading in June many many many many times in seasons where it didn’t go well by season’s end, it doesn’t do anything but add to the humor. But do feel free to keep mentioning it to us. Just remember, I’ve seen this before from your team, and had a front view for when your team choked seasons away…even on the last day of the season (multiple times)
As for my second statement, I’m glad you enjoyed it, but I have to admit that Marlins fans aren’t the only ones passionate about it. I’m sure Cardinals and Giants fans are emotional about Jeter gifting Stanton to the Yankees too. Their teams were rejected by Stanton with his trade clause after deals were agreed upon with the Marlins. That darn Jeter! It’s like the guy has no ego or desire to win! Same thing with one of our other owners, Michael Jordan!
Loved him on the Pads and was so stoked to see him doing well with the Mets. All around great guy and underrated arm. Wishing him a speedy recovery!
Hoping for a healthy and speedy recovery. Next man up!
Mets can’t catch a break. As for Lucchesi, it might be worth it for the Mets to keep him around even though he probably won’t pitch again til ’23
What advantage would the Mets have to attempt to trade him now?
The option besides keeping him isn’t trading him, it’s releasing him so he doesn’t occupy a 40-man roster spot this winter.
He’d be on the 60 day IL, meaning he wouldn’t take up a 40 man roster spot
As the post says, he would have to be added back to the 40-man in the offseason. There isn’t a 60-day IL in the offseason.
He will during the winter- there’s no 60-day IL after the WS.
They could non-tender him but he’s pre-arb right now, so it’s not like he’s going to make a ton of money in 2022. Plus he’s not going to really play in 2022 so it’s not like he will get a huge 2023 arb raise.
Might as well just hold on to him for 2023/2024 since he’s basically just cheap controllable starting pitching.
If only Lucchesi would stop trying to throw 100 mph all the time. He’s a thrower, not a pitcher. Max effort guys always get hurt. Soft. He’s too muscular and needs to stop lifting all those weights. What are the other things you idiots say all the time? I can’t remember them all
RIP Steve Nebraska
Get a real job like Tim Tebow
Nothing is going to change.
“What are the other things you idiots say all the time? I can’t remember them all”
here’s some :
“LOL you still think pitchers wins matter?”
“aSTroS r cHEAteRz”
“hahahahaha Cobb Spahn Bud Harrelson soft tossers couldn’t even get to triple A against the great athleticism of today’s game except I don’t know who Cobb was”
“LOL citing BATTING AVERAGE is SOOOOOOO neanderthal!!!!!!!!!111111111!!”
“Today’s players are the best ever”
“Batter Ks are not a problem for an offense”
Pitcher wins don’t matter. And they never have.
flog that windmill don quixote in your holy crusade.
Everyone else knows that they matter a LOT – where starters are concerned, see, winners……
Win.
@Nuanced Jamesian they never mattered and anyone who says differently belongs in a cage. At this point we need to just forget that the pitcher win stat ever existed.
Jacob deGrom won Cy Young awards in 2019 & 2018 with records of 11-8 & 10-9. Tell us again how important wins are.
“Tell us again how important wins are.”
Sure! Starting pitcher wins are massively important. One of 4 or 5 most important stats there are for measuring pitcher greatness.
“One of the 4 or 5 most important stats”… except that EVERY expert would disagree with this. Logic, too. It’s not particularly difficult to examine the criterion for collecting wins and see that it is arbitrary and does a poor job of indicating which pitchers actually have pitched well. But why let facts and research get in the way of a good old, long since debunked assumption?
You don’t even have to be an expert. Look at Sandy Alcantara with his losing record, and then tell me pitching wins matter. It’s literally a team stat, not a specific player one.
Often the true sign of idiocy is when someone sarcastically rants and raves against knowledge, innovation, logic and evidence all while calling those who follow expertise “idiots”.
RIP
He wouldn’t take up a spot on the 40 man roster if he’s out with TJ surgery; he’s be on the 60 day IL, leaving room to replace him on 40 man
I wish baseball would figure out what CAUSES these injuries. It obviously isn’t workload. Lucchesi missed virtually all of 2020 and was averaging just over 3 innings per appearance this year, every 5th day. He doesn’t throw 95+ and pretty much has a two pitch arsenal.
What the heck is baseball overlooking? Pregame prep? Off day treatments? Stretching? Hydration? Mechanics?
How is it that so many pre-1990 pitchers were able to avoid TJS? I really believe former team trainers and pitchers over the age of 50 who had full careers need to have their opinions heard.
“How is it that so many pre-1990 pitchers were able to avoid TJS?”
Because TJS was not a normal practice back then. What happened was a guy would tear his UCL try to pitch through it and suck, effectively ending his career.
“I wish baseball would figure out what CAUSES these injuries.”
They know what causes it. It’s called throwing a baseball. The amount of force on the UCL when pitching 90+ mph can cause a tear any time.
well, except for that historically HUGE number of pitchers who debuted between 1958 and 1969 and often threw more innings than anybody had since 1905 and lasted – successfully – for anywhere from 16 to 25 years
LOL edit while laughing when I realized that Tommy John is in that group
Lots of selection bias there. Can you list every pitcher whom had prematurely retired due to elbow injury?
doesn’t matter – that group of pitchers did what that group of pitchers did – since 1900, the only other groups even remotely as outstanding were the 1900-say, 1915 – either as outstanding, or moreso, and the ’84 to 96 group, better than most generations, but not as good as the oughts group or the 60s group.
Just a fact, or set of facts, to take note of. ESPECIALLY the heavy workload of the 60s group, in the 70s, where most of them racked up most of their achievements, and the extreme longevity of those guys, relatively injury free. I can count about 40 of them off the top of my head, lasted 15 years plus, 170 wins plus, few extras like Hiller, Ron reed, Sparky Lyle. A whole lot of resplendent careers there. More than any group since; and the current group will not approach those totals – any more than the 70-83 generation did.
Next gen, who knows? People have been predicting the death of the 300 game winner since I was in Jr High, hasn’t happened yet, and there are 4 guys currently who have an outside shot at it
They won’t approach those totals because the game has changed with specialized bullpens. You also uncommonly see starting pitchers exceed 110 pitches thrown in a game today. Managers aren’t trying to leave pitchers in so they can them get a :”W” counting stat. Winning games as a team trumps that. These are also facts and you can fault starting pitchers today if the opportunities don’t exist anymore.
TJS is simply from rotation of the elbow or stress on the elbow while trying to put spin on the ball in a counterclockwise rotation for a RHP. With all the emphasis on spin rate. It is ugly to look at in slow motion when a pitcher throws the ball; you can see the elbow twist against its natural flexion.
Big now with all the emphasis on spin rate
Wonder if the Padres had some medical information they kept to themselves before the trade. The question will at least come to mind as long as the current regime is in place.
Swing and a miss, nice try.
Seriously though? If lucchesi is the difference maker between winning and losing this year that’s a sad testament to you as a team. Peterson is fine. Carrasco should come back and so many guys will be available going forward. People hated lucchesi 3 weeks ago now all of a sudden everyone loves him
Your “hated Lucchesi three weeks ago” reference is actually a side commentary on fans. It’s a long season and you don’t give up on a player so soon. Pass that along to the negative nellies who regularly post comments on Metsmerized. Baseball isn’t a game where you live and die with every pitch. Those “fans” expect players to come through 100% of the time. Game threads on that site are pitiful. Bad fans.
Metsmerized is the worst
Best wishes Joey Fuego! You’ll get better, broham!
It’S pReLlEr’S fAuLt!