Prospect Nate Lavender likely set for Tommy John surgery

NEW YORK -- Mets relief prospect Nate Lavender, who entered this season on the cusp of the Majors, has ligament damage in his left elbow and is likely headed for Tommy John surgery, a source said Saturday.

Lavender, who went on the Triple-A injured list earlier this week due to an injured elbow, sought a medical opinion this weekend from renowned elbow expert Dr. Keith Meister. He is due to see Meister in person this week to determine whether an internal brace procedure is the proper method of treatment. If Lavender undergoes that operation, it would end his season.

The Mets have not confirmed the news. A club official said the team should have more clarity early this week.

Lavender, 24, turned heads in Spring Training, striking out seven batters over three innings. He did not make the Opening Day roster in part because of his youth and contract status, but Lavender was a candidate to come up early in the year. When veteran lefty Brooks Raley landed on the injured list earlier this month, manager Carlos Mendoza said the team recalled Josh Walker instead of Lavender in part because the latter was not on the 40-man roster, and in part because Walker “earned it.”

Lavender had struggled with control in the early season, issuing seven walks over his first seven innings. Three days after he threw a scoreless multi-inning outing in Charlotte on April 19, he landed on the Triple-A injured list with an elbow sprain. Lavender has since received differing opinions on the elbow and spent this weekend seeking clarity, multiple sources said. A virtual visit with Dr. Meister on Saturday revealed the likely need for surgery, according to one of those sources.

Meister, the Rangers’ team physician, is considered an expert on elbows in general, and specifically on internal brace operations -- a modern descendent of Tommy John surgery that does not require quite as long a rehabilitation period. Meister performed Jacob deGrom’s elbow surgery last year and recently did the same for Braves pitcher Spencer Strider.

Lavender, the Mets’ 14th-round Draft pick in 2021, is the organization’s 24th-ranked prospect and one of the more promising homegrown relievers it has developed in recent memory. Team officials rave about his makeup and moxie, in addition to his five-pitch repertoire. Over four Minor League seasons, Lavender has produced a 2.41 ERA with 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Although he is not a hard thrower, topping out in the low 90s, Lavender produces elite extension with his fastball.

“I like to say if you throw 92 with a little doubt in there, it’s probably going to get hit pretty hard,” Lavender said in Spring Training. “If you throw 92 with some grit and some intention behind it, you’re going to be all right.”

Lavender’s injury follows that of another notable Mets pitching prospect, 22nd-ranked Calvin Ziegler, who recently underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of this season.