Headlines

  • Astros Interested In Carlos Correa Reunion
  • Orioles Trade Seranthony Dominguez To Blue Jays
  • Astros Interested In Dylan Cease
  • Dodgers Promote Alex Freeland, Place Hyeseong Kim On 10-Day IL
  • Rays Acquire Nick Fortes From Marlins
  • Ryne Sandberg Passes Away
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

A.J. Minter Could Require Season-Ending Surgery

By Steve Adams | April 29, 2025 at 3:33pm CDT

The Mets placed lefty A.J. Minter on the 15-day injured list due to a left lat strain this weekend, but he’ll be out far longer than 15 days. Manager Carlos Mendoza tells the Mets beat that Minter’s injury is “pretty significant” and could require surgery (video link via SNY). A final decision on surgery hasn’t been made yet, as Minter is receiving a wave of additional opinions. However, if the lefty does go under the knife, Mendoza acknowledged that the procedure would end his 2025 campaign.

It’s a brutal development for Minter, who spent the offseason rehabbing hip surgery and has been outstanding in his first 11 innings as a Met. The longtime Braves lefty has allowed only two runs on six hits and five walks with 14 strikeouts so far in 2025. That’s good for a huge 31.8% strikeout rate, albeit against a bloated 11.4% walk rate. Minter has kept a strong 48% of his opponents’ batted balls on the ground and turned in an above-average 12.4% swinging-strike rate.

Minter is one of four Mets relievers with a sub-3.00 ERA on the season (and three with a sub-2.00 mark). The Mets have seen closer Edwin Diaz struggle with command issues even as he’s gone 7-for-7 in save opportunities. Righty Ryne Stanek has also struggled with his command. The group of Reed Garrett, Jose Butto and Huascar Brazoban has been sharp thus far, but on the whole the Mets are lacking in established veterans to set up for Diaz.

More generally, the Mets are also light on lefties with Minter’s season now in jeopardy. Danny Young is the only currently healthy left-handed reliever in Mendoza’s bullpen (or on the 40-man roster). Brooks Raley just signed a one-year deal, but he’s still on the mend from last year’s Tommy John surgery. Genesis Cabrera is in Triple-A but is not on the 40-man roster and has not pitched well to begin the season.

Minter’s injury also comes with notable contractual ramifications for the Mets. A healthy version of Minter would surely have turned down the player option he faces at season’s end. He signed a two-year, $22MM deal over the winter even while recovering from hip surgery. If he’d been healthy and pitched anywhere close to his current level, he’d have been a lock to opt back into free agency.

If Minter undergoes season-ending surgery, he’d almost certainly decide to forgo that out opportunity in his contract. Even if he avoids surgery, it seems like he’ll be facing a monthslong absence, which significantly increases the chances of him exercising his $11MM player option. RosterResource already projects the Mets for $206MM of tax obligations in 2026, and that’s before factoring in player options (Minter, Frankie Montas, Pete Alonso), club options (Raley, Drew Smith) or arbitration raises (Francisco Alvarez, David Peterson and Tylor Megill, to name a few).

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email0

New York Mets Newsstand A.J. Minter

Blue Jays Activate Daulton Varsho, Option Will Wagner
Main
Mariners Select Samad Taylor, Place Dylan Moore On IL
View Comments (24)
Post a Comment

24 Comments

  1. SomTeaver

    3 months ago

    I hope for a better outcome than season ending surgery, both for AJ and for the Mets.

    12
    Reply
    • simonkiller

      3 months ago

      Seems reasonable

      3
      Reply
    • Brett Baty’s Bat

      3 months ago

      Yo dat!

      Reply
    • Ralphus_JPS

      3 months ago

      AJ……After dinner Minter….. as Chris Berman would say

      Reply
  2. VonPurpleHayes

    3 months ago

    That’s a huge loss if true. Mets are cruising and looking good, but the season is a grind and if Minter’s out, that’d really hurt this excellent bullpen.

    3
    Reply
    • geofft

      3 months ago

      The pen has been excellent so far. But it has its flaws, and its been overused already, and I worry that it may be a house of cards. This, coupled with the Mets plan on going to a 6-man rotation, could be the card that brings it all down. Or maybe this injury is the impetus that prompts them to stick with the 5-man ro…….

      1
      Reply
  3. olereb

    3 months ago

    I’m a Braves fan, but I’ve always been a Minter fan. I hated when he left Atlanta, he has always been a class act and I hope he comes back soon.

    20
    Reply
    • NashvilleJeff

      3 months ago

      Yep, this.

      1
      Reply
  4. 10centBeerNight

    3 months ago

    No sugarcoating this.

    Reply
  5. rct

    3 months ago

    I know he’s a RHP, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they call up Dedniel Nunez soon. He might need a couple more games of work in AAA to get himself into form but he’ll be back with the Mets soon enough. Waddell might start tomorrow, send him back down after the game, call up Nunez.

    Reply
    • HBan22

      3 months ago

      Nunez has been terrible in AAA so far. I think they’ll probably wait until he shows signs of improvement before promoting him. He was quite good last season though, so the potential is there.

      2
      Reply
      • geofft

        3 months ago

        @ HBan Nunez has started getting better results of late. But he’s still not able to pitch often enough post-injury to get a call-up.

        1
        Reply
      • rct

        3 months ago

        “Nunez has been terrible in AAA so far. ”

        No, he hasn’t. Check the game logs. He had bad appearances in two of his first three outings. Last six outings, 5.1 innings, 1 run, 8 Ks. The six walks are concerning but only one in his last three appearances. Like I said, give him a couple more games in AAA and call him up.

        3
        Reply
    • geofft

      3 months ago

      rct……. In a Stearns interview last Monday, he stated that Nunez has to be able to pitch in back-to-back nights and has to be available at least three times a week before they will call him up. He still hasn’t done either of those things.
      That said, injury issues do have a way of forcing teams to change their plans.

      2
      Reply
      • rct

        3 months ago

        Ah, gotcha. Maybe they’d keep Waddell around a little while longer. He’s a lefty, after all.

        1
        Reply
        • geofft

          3 months ago

          I think its a distinct possibility. generally speaking, the starters haven’t been giving much length. It would be useful to have another long man in the pen so they don’t have to keep using three and four relievers a night.
          This stretch with no days off runs thru May 7th, so he’s probably here in a starter’s role for that long if he pitches decently.

          1
          Reply
    • Brett Baty’s Bat

      3 months ago

      Nunez was pretty good against LH bats in 2024, I believe.

      Edited: .517 OPS vs RH
      .574 vs LH

      Reply
  6. geofft

    3 months ago

    Omissions from this article: While it is unlikely to be used, Diaz also has an opt-outs.
    And Anthony Gose is another lefty in triple-A, and he’s been pitching well.

    1
    Reply
    • HBan22

      3 months ago

      It’d be cool to see Gose get a shot. He has persevered for quite a while in the minors since switching to pitching.

      Reply
  7. Stan Not the Man

    3 months ago

    He should be back in Mint condition at the start of next season.

    1
    Reply
    • Bill M

      3 months ago

      Minter near mint

      Reply
  8. JackStrawb

    3 months ago

    Here’s a weird one wrt the Mets. Within the last week they had all of 3 players with an OPS+ of 100 or better. Today they have 9 such players and 3 more hovering around 90. Never seen that before, even in April, and even with the SSS and returns from the IL. .

    The team OPS+ shot up from 102 (thanks, Pete!) to 110 in a few days.

    2
    Reply
  9. Mr. McNasty

    3 months ago

    Unacceptable

    Reply
  10. stephaniebpetagno

    3 months ago

    That is, indeed, a minter.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Astros Interested In Carlos Correa Reunion

    Orioles Trade Seranthony Dominguez To Blue Jays

    Astros Interested In Dylan Cease

    Dodgers Promote Alex Freeland, Place Hyeseong Kim On 10-Day IL

    Rays Acquire Nick Fortes From Marlins

    Ryne Sandberg Passes Away

    Brewers Have Interest In Ryan O’Hearn

    Brewers Acquire Danny Jansen

    4 More Days To Lock In Savings On Trade Rumors Front Office

    Nationals’ Travis Sykora To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Tigers Acquire Chris Paddack

    Kris Bubic To Miss Remainder Of 2025 Season With Rotator Cuff Strain

    Tigers To Place Reese Olson On 60-Day IL With Shoulder Strain

    Cubs, Jed Hoyer Agree To Multi-Year Extension

    Royals Sign Seth Lugo To Extension

    Emmanuel Clase Placed On Administrative Leave Amid MLB’s Sports-Betting Investigation

    Braves Acquire Erick Fedde, Place Grant Holmes On 60-Day IL

    Yankees Place Aaron Judge On Injured List With Flexor Strain

    Top 50 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Yankees Acquire Amed Rosario

    Recent

    Latest On Cubs’ Starting Pitching Pursuits

    MLBTR Podcast: Megapod Trade Deadline Preview

    White Sox Trade Austin Slater To Yankees

    Cubs Designate Vidal Brujan For Assignment

    Astros Interested In Carlos Correa Reunion

    Phillies Could Consider Move To Bullpen For Jesus Luzardo

    The Opener: Acuna, Happ, Rotation Market

    Braves Place Ronald Acuna On Injured List

    Inside the Deadline War Room: What Really Happens When GMs Make Their Moves

    Orioles Trade Seranthony Dominguez To Blue Jays

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Eugenio Suarez Rumors
    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Ryan O’Hearn Rumors
    • Mitch Keller Rumors
    • David Bednar Rumors
    • Marcell Ozuna Rumors
    • Merrill Kelly Rumors
    • Zac Gallen Rumors
    • Ryan Helsley Rumors
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version