10:23pm: Manager Luis Rojas acknowledged after tonight’s game that surgery is a possibility for Lucchesi but said the left-hander will receive a second opinion before making a final decision (Twitter link via Newsday’s Laura Albanese).
7:34pm: Mets left-hander Joey Lucchesi, who went on the injured list this weekend, underwent an MRI and was diagnosed with a “significant” tear in his left elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament, reports Steve Gelbs of SNY (Twitter link). The Mets haven’t formally announced an update, but any UCL tear obviously comes with the possibility of Tommy John surgery. He’ll seek a second opinion before making any decisions.
In further Mets injury news, the team announced prior to the second game of today’s doubleheader that Jeurys Familia has been placed on the injured list due to a right hip impingement. That injury comes just hours after the Mets placed righty Robert Gsellman on the 10-day injured list due to a lat strain that will reportedly sideline him for up to eight weeks. Right-hander Yennsy Diaz is up from Triple-A Syracuse to take Familia’s spot on the roster. The team has not yet provided a timeline on Familia’s injury.
Lucchesi, 28, has given the Mets 38 1/3 innings of 4.46 ERA ball with a 3.40 FIP, a 26.1 percent strikeout rate and a 7.0 percent walk rate. That’s solid production from any pitcher, let alone one who was viewed as a depth option and perhaps the sixth or seventh starting pitcher on the team’s depth chart when Spring Training commenced. That performance has certainly justified the Mets’ decision to part with catching prospect Endy Rodriguez to acquire Lucchesi from the Padres as part of the three-team, Joe Musgrove trade with the Pirates. Now, however, there are considerable doubts as to just when Lucchesi will throw his next pitch.
If Lucchesi indeed requires Tommy John surgery, the procedure is coming late enough in the 2021 season that it’ll jeopardize the majority, if not the entirety, of his 2022 season.. Tommy John procedures typically come with recovery periods in the range of 12 to 16 months, and as the Mets’ own Noah Syndergaard illustrates, a straightforward year-long recovery period is not necessarily a given.
A Tommy John procedure would put the Mets in a tough spot with Lucchesi. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter now that he’ll close out the current season on the 60-day injured list. Any raise will be suppressed by his current injury status, of course, but they’d still need to determine whether to dedicate a 40-man spot to him all winter and pay him a raise for the 2022 season despite the possibility that he won’t pitch at all. In that scenario, they’d again be faced with the decision of whether to again dedicate an offseason 40-man spot and likely match that salary in 2023 — most arb-eligible players who miss a whole season are re-upped at the same rate for the following year — or cut bait via a non-tender.
Obviously, the hope for the Mets, Lucchesi and their fans is that he’ll somehow be able to avoid surgery and return to the mound without going under the knife. However, the report of a “significant” tear indicates that even if surgery is avoided for now, Lucchesi is likely looking at a notable shutdown.
The loss of Lucchesi in the near-term is a blow to a Mets club that has been hit hard by injuries up and down the roster. Carlos Carrasco has still yet to pitch in 2021, owing to a hamstring tear a brief elbow issue in Spring Training, while Syndergaard’s return has been pushed back by at least six weeks due to inflammation in his surgically repaired elbow. Righty Jordan Yamamoto, meanwhile, is on the 60-day injured list due to shoulder woes.
With those injuries having taken their toll, the Mets turned to former Phillies righty Jerad Eickhoff to start the nightcap of today’s twin bill. Other options on the 40-man roster include recent waiver claim Nick Tropeano and 25-year-old prospect Thomas Szapucki, who has yet to make his MLB debut.
The Mets entered the season with a fairly impressive bit of pitching depth, but that depth has obviously been tested early and often. Given the news on Lucchesi, the setbacks in the recoveries of Syndergaard and Carrasco, and the minor injury troubles that Jacob deGrom and Taijuan Walker have faced, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see the Mets target rotation help on the summer trade market.
Turning to Familia, his injury places a temporary hold on what was shaping up to be a solid rebound effort. While the right-hander’s 14.3 percent walk rate has been far too high, Familiar has nevertheless pitched to a 3.63 ERA with a 23 percent strikeout rate in 22 1/3 frames. He’s also generated plenty of weak contact and induced grounders at a characteristically high 58.5 percent clip, which has helped to offset the penchant for free passes. It may not be the dominant form he displayed from 2014-18, but it’s nevertheless been a nice season for the righty.
The bullpen has been one area where the Mets haven’t been bitten too hard by the injury bug, but back-to-back losses of Gsellman and Familia now threaten to begin testing the depth on that side of the pitching staff as well. The Mets are undoubtedly thankful that deGrom was able to breeze through five innings today after his own recent injury scare, but it’s still been a rough day for the pitching staff as a whole — one that could very well accelerate the team’s efforts to add from outside the organization.
RIP he was so young
I’m torn up over this. My PTSD might act up again! 🙁
Who died?
Decency
Nah fam, Doug DeCinces is still alive.
Haha, baseball injuries are so much fun. I hope to see a couple dozen more UCL tears so we can see this witty comment again each time.
“RIP?” Who died?
2020-21 worst years on record for injuries? At this rate who ever has the healthiest rotation in October will win it all
OMG nooooooooooooooooo not Joey!
But ma Joey was dirty.He was dirty ma
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
Thank you so much! This has been very hard on my family. We appreciate the thoughts and prayers.
All in all , he was a good boy
I was torn about the Padres trading him, depth purposes. Figured he’d thrive in a piggyback role with paddack.
Unbelievable
Sticky stuff ban post problems! Get ready for a barrage of tears.
He was still using. Watch his last start, it was on the brim of his cap.
Tell me again how pitch counts protect pitchers?
At least it’s not degrom!
Don’t you temp the Gods!
You can’t temp the Gods, they’re full time permanent.
Wrong. People only pray when it’s convenient or when they want something, so the gods ARE temps. Only the winners thank God. Why don’t the losing teams praise God since it’s his will that they lost too?
Sixers fan?
I stopped watching the NBA when the Sheboygan Red Skins went under.
Degrom and Tatis are dueling for the league lead in false alarms.
Don’t fall for it. There’s some precautionary load management going on.
No sane medical staff in the world would let deGrom pitch after back to back injuries and shortened starts. Clearly these were simple precautions to keep him healthy down the stretch.
DeGrom can win once per week, if that.
Mets should trade for Jon Gray
I wouldn’t want to sacrifice too much of our farm system to get him
Go easy on Gray. He’s coming off the IL this week. And if he’s healthy, the Mets would have to beat other teams’ offers for his services.
Would you sacrifice a goat or a lamb to get Gray?
Maybe Jake Lamb
Hmm, I’d sacrifice Mike but not baby Jake.
The Mets pitching staff seems to have surpassed the Angels for most snake bitten
At least their top 3 has been lights out. As long as they stay healthy, Mets will win.
Arguably, only one of their top three has even pitched this year.
Syndergaard and Cookie…maybe, but I don’t know if even they match what deGrom, Stro, and Walker have done so far.
And here the commentators on his initial injury called it a fake illness…
It’s still is a not an illness. So checkmate, a dawg
He should have worn a mask on his elbow!
Mets should acquire Zach Godley who was designated for assignment, John Means, or José Berrios.
They need to sign Bartolo Colon. His sabermetrics and algorithms in Mexico are OFF THE CHARTS as the kids say!
It’s not very likely (at least in my view) but I love the idea of a deal for Berrios and Rogers. It addresses their two most pressing needs right now and gives them great insurance for trying to keep Stroman or Syndergaard this offseason.
Wait, Carrasco’s elbow? Did something happen to his elbow?
He left it in Cleveland.
Was just referencing the Spring Training flare-up that shut him down for a bit and pushed back his schedule prior to the hamstring tear, but I should clarify that. Sorry for the confusion.
Wow, a Steve Adams sighting! And I didn’t have my camera ready.
And the beat goes on….
And now villar just got hurt geez
At what point does a person named Joseph stop using the nickname Joey?
Dunno snizake. Can’t wait for you on the next Votto post.
I’m watching a Braves team struggling to beat a AAA Mets team. And I’m over here thinking. This is going to be easy when we get healthy.
If , not when. Who knows who all will come,back and how,healthy.
The Mets never get healthy. Your all-world pitcher has lasted like 3 innings in his last 4 starts. He’s definitely trending towards being healthy. Can anyone explain the at-bat where deGrow was afraid to throw the Barves pitcher a fastball and walked him? That’s totally not concerning at all.
Who knew the sticky-icky kept pitchers from blowing their arms out? Pitchers break. Always have, always will.
Looks like with all the kids now out on Summer break the comment quality is back into its seasonal dumpster fire.
Well, Sonya Henning’s out, how about Danny?
Hopefully he can avoid surgery, but that’s not the norm with UCL tears. TJS has a high success rate, but “fringey” pitchers such as Lucchesi are at a higher risk to lose effectiveness. They’re right on the border as backend starters, if even that, so any loss in velocity, command or movement can end their careers.
All the injuries could not have happened to a better team
What better team? The White Sox? The Giants? The Rays? At this juncture, there are only 6 teams in first place and the Mets are one of them. They are winning enough to hold the largest first place margin in any baseball division. Baseball is cyclical, and in spite of everything and all their injuries, this may be their year. But it is a long season. Many more games to come.
Unlucky Lucchesi, Familia, Villar, Nido got hit on the hand in the first game. Who is closest to coming back, Conforto? Someone earlier said to sign Big Sexy out of the Mexican League, might as well, who would they trade for?
If Cole Hamels has anything left in the tank – Mets ought to take a look
There’s gotta be a better choice in there than a 37 year old who isn’t even in baseball right now. Need to be more imaginative than just re-hashing names from the past.
So who do you recommend, Mr KnowItAll?
The Mets have Yennsy Diaz and Nick Tropeano who were both starters in the past in their 40 man roster and at Syracuse, but both would need to be stretched out, as would Seth Lugo. Sounds like Lucchesi is headed for a 60-day IL, whoch would open up a 40-man roster spot. I just dont see a trade happening soon enough to cover the doubleheaders in the near future.
Anthony DiComo wrote an article last night suggesting Kyle Gibson, Jon Gray, German Marquez, & Luis Castillo as trade targets
Pick anybody who has sexually harassed women they will fit in.