The New York Mets have already seen a key member of their starting rotation fall to injury at camp, and faced another injury scare Thursday morning.
The New York Mets took a body blow to their roster earlier this week with Frankie Montas being shut down with a lat strain. On Thursday, the team narrowly missed a right hook in what could have been an injury to a key member of the lineup.
During infield drills, first baseman Pete Alonso took a tumble at first base and appeared to be in pain. After getting back up, he went inside to be checked out by team doctors before coming back onto the field.
The injury scare to Alonso adds to an already long spring camp for the Mets. Montas has been shut down for six to eight weeks, with the starting rotation becoming an even weaker unit in his absence than it already was. With that in mind, New York could ill-afford to lose one of their key offensive pieces.
The Mets and Alonso reunited in free agency earlier this month on a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after year one. Paying Alonso $30 million this year to provide a massive amount of power in the middle of the lineup was the plan, but any injury could see those plans slip right through David Stearns’ hands.
For his career, Alonso has batted .249/.339/.514 with 226 home runs, 586 RBI, and a 134 OPS+ across 3,607 plate appearances in 846 games. The 30-year-old slugger is also renowned for his durability; Alonso has never missed more than 10 games in any season of his career and played in all 162 games last year, making him the main constant in the Mets’ lineup.
The addition of Juan Soto this offseason could help offset any power outage from first base if Alonso were to be injured. Fortunately, with Alonso back on the field, disaster looks to be averted for now.
New York Mets’ Frankie Montas gives promising injury update
One of the New York Mets‘ few additions to their starting rotation this offseason, Frankie Montas, experienced discomfort during his first bullpen session, and it now has him set to miss upwards of two months.
The good news for Montas is that the Mets’ training staff is well-versed in dealing with injuries to pitchers. With names over the last decade, including Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, and Zack Wheeler, among others, all spending ample amounts of time on the injured list during their tenure with the club, Montas is in good hands.
Those good hands have already begun working their magic on Montas, as the veteran received a PRP shot for his high-grade lat injury. While it may not improve the timetable for the pitcher’s return, Montas did give a promising update on his status Wednesday morning.
“They’ve taken every right step to deal with this,” Montas told reporters in Port St. Lucie, Florida. “Got a PRP shot yesterday, [and] I’m already feeling pretty good.”
With Montas on the shelf for a minimum of six to eight weeks, the starting rotation and the bullpen are both projected to take a hit. FanGraphs projects Griffin Canning to fill in at the back of the rotation, while he was originally slated to serve as an arm out of the bullpen.
Montas was projected to serve as the third starter in the rotation. But after being shut down for six to eight weeks before resuming activities, the best case scenario could see the pitcher make his debut for the Mets in the middle of May, when accounting for the time needed to build up his arm.
The veteran will be a welcome addition to the rotation when he does return, and with the promising update Montas gave reporters on Wednesday, it could be sooner than expected.
Montas carries a 4.09 ERA across 744.1 innings in 160 games for his career, with 760 strikeouts and a 101 ERA+. The Mets will be the sixth franchise he has suited up for throughout his career, and he is still trying to find the magic he once had as a member of the Oakland Athletics.
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