Reese Kaplan -- The New York Mets Walking Wounded Squad

So as the Mets come into the home stretch of the preseason let's review things that have not gone as expected and what the club could or should do about it.

Bullpen

Word has come out that after his surgery for the knee injury Edwin Diaz is expecting a normal 8-month recovery which takes him out of the picture for the entire 2023 season. Replacing him is not going to be easy given his other worldly strikeout numbers and ERA last year which made him the top of the heap in the sport of baseball for relief pitching talent. We're all speculating regularly on who the Mets might add to the roster be it a closer or a setup guy while converting one of the established setup guys to the role of closer substitute.

The big man Bryce Montes de Oca has had some amazing strikeout totals to accompany his wildness, but right now he's on the IL with a 3-4 week minimum rest required for what they're calling a stress reaction in right elbow. Since he is a right handed pitcher, the probability of him becoming available is unlikely for perhaps a month or two as they wouldn't want him to change whatever it was that was working for him to overcompensate for the elbow healing issue.

When he was signed many questioned why. His health has not been good and his performance seemed borderline but Billy Eppler started temporarily looking like a genius when Coonrod was off to a solid spring stint in Florida. He is now dealing with a major lat strain and no one has estimated how long a high grade strain will take to heal. So Coonrod is on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

Bring up the rear is the southpaw free agent acquisition from Tampa Bay. He is having a low grade hamstring strain which caused him to drop out of the eliminate-your-closer World Baseball Classic. They are suggesting he may indeed be ready for the season opener, but given the fragile state of the bullpen it may be smarter to allow for a more cautious approach.

Conclusion

There are a number of minor league arms in camp that are and are not on the 40-man roster which will have a shot at coming north due to the plethora of IL members. Familiar faces like Tommy Hunter and John Curtiss would be a part of the non-roster contingent, but you would have to create space on the 40-man list to accommodate one or both. Obviously Diaz goes to the 60-day IL and thus opens up a spot, but an acquisition via free agency (Zack Britton, for example) or trade might require it. Other lesser options without much experience may not be as appropriate as veteran relievers whose track records are better and who know their role.

Starting Rotation

One of the first pitchers to hit the IL was southpaw Jose Quintana who felt what was termed stiffness in his abdomen and people felt it would be a minor issue requiring rest. It turned out, of course, to reveal a non-cancerous tumor on his ribs and he's now destined to be out of the rotation probably for half a season. That is unfortunate for the Mets but in a way it was good news for Quintana to rest but not have to enter a cancer treatment regimen.

The enigmatic Japanese import Kodai Senga is having a strain in his index finger which will require some rest. Many folks are jumping to conclusion about the stitching being different on the baseballs used in Japan as opposed to what is used in America (and Canada). Regardless, it is not considered a major issue and after sitting out a start or two Senga is not expected to hit the IL.

Conclusion

David Peterson and Tylor Megill are going to be resuming their supersub roles for 2023. Both have shown they can be highly competent when healthy, so there's no immediate panic button being pushed. Behind them you still have Joey Lucchesi and others who will be shivering in Syracuse.

Offense

If Darin Ruf didn't have enough haters already, the arthritic condition causing pain in his wrist. A cortisone shot was supposed to help, but he's still not 100% which might suggest his future is not the IL but the unemployment line. No one would have major heartburn about that except perhaps Billy Eppler who swung and missed on that trade.

Conclusion

Brett Baty is on fire this spring and may be pushing the Mets to turn third base duties over to him freeing up Eduardo Escobar to become half of the DH platoon. Similarly, Mark Vientos is a right handed bat doing well and with more experience in the minors than Baty. No one expects Ronny Mauricio to leapfrog over AAA nor has Francisco Alvarez shown the offense nor defense this spring to suggest he's ready to begin his full time major league career.