Injuries & Moves: Updates on Raley, Smith, Senga
LATEST NEWS
10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
LHP Brooks Raley (left elbow inflammation)
Expected return: TBD
Raley, a heavily used reliever who was having trouble recovering between outings, was a surprise addition to the Mets' injured list before their April 21 game against the Dodgers. According to manager Carlos Mendoza, Raley is not close to returning to throwing. In fact, Raley is going to see Dr. Keith Meister, the Rangers' team physician and an orthopedic specialist, on Tuesday just to make sure the Mets didn’t miss anything from Raley's previous MRIs.
“He will not throw until he sees a doctor and we get more clarification on it,” Mendoza said.
An initial MRI revealed no structural damage, and Raley received a cortisone shot to reduce the inflammation in his elbow. But he subsequently felt enough additional discomfort for the Mets to slow his throwing program and send him for further testing. (Last updated: May 10)
RHP Drew Smith (right shoulder soreness)
Expected return: Mid-May
Smith, who felt shoulder tightness during his outings on April 20 and 23, is scheduled to pitch in the late innings for Triple-A Syracuse on May 11. He does not expect to need much more time on the IL after that. (Last updated: May 10)
C Francisco Alvarez (torn ligament in left thumb)
Expected return: Late June
Alvarez, who tore a ligament in his left thumb in an April 19 game against the Dodgers, underwent surgery to fix it four days later. The Mets expect him to miss approximately eight weeks. They plan to be careful with their starting backstop, given how much stress catching can place on the thumb. For as long as Alvarez is sidelined, Omar Narváez and Tomás Nido will split duties behind the plate. In the first notable update after surgery, Alvarez had his stitches removed on May 6. He has been playing catch and swinging a bat one-handed since then. (Last updated: May 7)
RHP Tylor Megill (right shoulder strain)
Expected return: Mid-May
Megill left his season debut on March 31 after four innings due to right shoulder discomfort, which turned out to be a strain. Following a week-long shutdown, Megill began building up again and has since made three Minor League rehab starts. In the most recent of them on May 7, he struck out seven batters over four shutout innings. The Mets have scheduled Megill for one final rehab outing on May 12, after which they must decide if they'll activate him or option him to the Minors. (Last updated: May 7)
60-DAY INJURED LIST
RHP Kodai Senga (right posterior shoulder capsule strain)
Expected return: June
Senga threw a bullpen session on May 10. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the right-hander is trying to get himself right mechanically, and Senga feels he is not there yet.
“We have to wait and see how he comes back tomorrow, the next day,” Mendoza said. "It’s more mechanics that he is dealing with.”
Mendoza doesn’t want to look too far ahead and think about how Senga could boost New York’s rotation.
“It's one of those things where you're still dealing with a shoulder and you never know what’s going to happen,” Mendoza said. “You try to stay the course. Hopefully, he'll continue to progress the same way he is doing it. We still have to go through a lot of hurdles here. He has to start facing hitters and pitching in games. And how is he going to bounce back after each outing? It’s still too early to put a date on him. (Last updated: May 10)
LHP David Peterson (recovery from left hip surgery)
Expected return: Late May or June
Peterson underwent surgery Nov. 6 to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, an injury that had been bothering him for years. The operation carries a typical recovery timetable of six or seven months. Peterson, who began throwing bullpen sessions in March, is targeting a return to the Majors as soon as he's eligible to come off the 60-day IL on May 27. To that end, he began a Minor League rehab assignment for Single-A St. Lucie on April 28.
Once healthy, Peterson figures to return to his role as a rotation depth option. (Last updated: April 28)
INF Ronny Mauricio (recovery from right knee surgery)
Expected return: Possibly September
Mauricio underwent surgery in early January to repair a torn ACL in his right knee, which he injured during winter ball in the Dominican Republic. A typical return timetable for that operation is eight to 12 months, giving Mauricio an outside chance to rejoin the Mets in September. If not, he'll return in 2025.
The club transferred him to the 60-day IL at the start of Spring Training. (Last updated: Feb. 14)
MINOR LEAGUE UPDATES
INF/OF Jett Williams (right wrist soreness)
Toward the end of last month, Williams began dealing with a bout of right wrist soreness, which has kept him off the field since April 21. To treat it, Williams received a cortisone injection in early May, according to Mets senior vice president of player development Andy Green. Once that heals, he will begin swinging a bat in hopes of returning to games by the end of this month.
OF Drew Gilbert (right hamstring strain)
Gilbert, the top prospect the Mets acquired from the Astros in the Justin Verlander trade last summer, hasn’t played since straining his right hamstring in the second game of an April 6 doubleheader for Triple-A Syracuse. Per Green, Gilbert is still in the “strengthening phase” of his recovery process. His timeline to return will depend in large part upon how well he responds to his running progression, but the Mets are hopeful he’ll be ready toward the end of May or beginning of June.