6 hours Ago By NY Daily News
NEW YORK — The Mets will be without left-hander A.J. Minter for a while, if not for the rest of the season.
While the team is hesitant to give a definitive diagnosis, manager Carlos Mendoza described it as a “pretty significant” lat injury on Tuesday, ahead of the start of a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-hander is seeking other opinions and the club is in the “information gathering” phase, but surgery is an option. However, surgery would end Minter’s season.
“We’re providing him with all the information so he makes the right decision,” Mendoza said. “So that’s why we’re still waiting and talking to multiple people.” The latissimus dorsi is one of the largest and strongest muscles in the back.
Lat injuries typically are not treated surgically, but high-level athletes who experience a tendon avulsion sometimes undergo an operation. An avulsion is when the tendon that connects the lat muscle to the humerus is torn away from the bone, so surgery is done to reattach the tendon to the bone. Lat injuries can also sometimes mask shoulder injuries, or be symptomatic of shoulder injuries.
Minter had imaging done Sunday in Washington, which the Mets say confirmed the diagnosis of a lat injury, so the doctors may have already ruled out any sort of shoulder injury. The Mets are hoping that he can return with rest, rehab and regenerative treatment, like a platelet-rich plasma shot. Minter should have a decision made later in the week.
“We should probably know in another day or two,” Mendoza said. “We’ve got multiple people and he’s obviously got to make a decision here.” The Mets signed Minter to a two-year, $11 million contract with a player option for 2026 over the winter.
A veteran who helped the Atlanta Braves win a World Series in 2021, Minter was coming off of August hip surgery at the time of the signing. The 33-year-old Texan was a stable, reliable left-handed option in high-leverage innings. Through 11 innings (13 appearances), Minter posted a 1.
64 ERA and held the lead seven times. “It’s a big blow,” Mendoza said. “Not only because of his ability to throw high-leverage [innings], but his ability to out get lefties and righties.
It’s a big blow, for sure. But guys will step up, guys will continue to get opportunities, and you know, we’ve got to keep going.” Danny Young is the only left-hander in the bullpen at the moment, but the journeyman isn’t typically used in high-leverage innings.
The Mets might get Brooks Raley back later in the summer with the pitcher having agreed to terms on a one-year contract for 2025 with a club option for 2026, similar to the deal that brought right-handed reliever Drew Smith back to Queens. Smith and Raley both underwent internal brace ulnar collateral reconstruction surgery last season, and will continue to rehab with the Mets this season. Raley is ahead of Smith, already throwing bullpens, and will go to Port St.
Lucie within the next few weeks to face hitters, barring any setbacks. They’re both hoping to be healthy enough to contribute down the stretch. Extra bags — Brandon Nimmo was out of the lineup Tuesday against Arizona with a stomach bug, just one day after driving in nine runs in a win in Washington.
Jose Azocar took his place in left field and hit ninth. The Mets have had a stomach virus of sorts running through the clubhouse in recent weeks, with about 6-7 members of the team falling victim to it. The illness even set back Paul Blackburn’s rehab timeline, with Mendoza saying they had to start from the beginning after the right-hander lost so much weight.
Nimmo was hit late Monday night after returning from Washington, and struggled Tuesday morning. Mendoza is hoping to have him available off the bench. — Right-hander Jose Ureña was designated for assignment Tuesday afternoon, and the Mets called up right-hander Kevin Herget.
They play to bring up left-hander Brandon Waddell from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, but are unsure whether they will start him or use him for a long relief appearance. It will be the first big league appearance for Waddell since 2021. — Left-hander Sean Manaea was moved to the 60-day injured list.
— The Mets announced the passing of Seymour Weiner, a long-time fan who became a viral sensation after being honored as the veteran of the game on Opening Day by the team last season. A WWII veteran who had a sense of humor about his humorous name, Weiner also helped the team promote their $1 hot dog night at Citi Field, which was exactly a year to the date of his passing. A Brooklyn native who adopted the Mets after the Dodgers departed for Los Angeles, Weiner later sent the Mets a video wishing them luck during the postseason.
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