Garrett returns to injured list, set for MRI on sore right elbow
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NEW YORK -- Reed Garrett, a cog of the Mets’ bullpen the past two years, will miss the rest of the regular season -- and possibly all of October -- with an elbow injury that could require surgery.
The Mets are still awaiting full answers on Garrett, who has struck out 11.7 batters per nine innings with a 3.83 ERA the past two seasons. In the interim, they placed him on the injured list Thursday as part of a slew of roster moves. The team also placed Sean Manaea on paternity leave and designated Dom Hamel for assignment. To fill those gaps, the Mets called up relievers Huascar Brazobán, Chris Devenski and Wander Suero.
Manaea, whose wife gave birth in New York, will return in time to make his next appearance on Sunday. But there is significant concern surrounding Garrett, who previously hit the IL on Aug. 25 due to right elbow inflammation. At the time, Mets officials did not consider the issue serious, and Garrett indeed returned following a minimum IL stay. Yet he continued struggling to recover between outings.
The issue came to a head during the Mets’ 7-4 loss to the Padres on Wednesday, when Garrett stopped warming in the bullpen due to elbow pain. The Mets are now seeking more information to determine whether Garrett has any sort of ligament damage that would necessitate surgery. He was set to undergo an MRI on Thursday.
“It’s concerning,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s concerning that for the second time in less than a month, the guy is going down with elbow issues. But we’ve got to wait.”
Even in a best-case scenario, Garrett would not be eligible to return until October. Mendoza indicated the amount of time Garrett would need to ramp back up could knock him out for the postseason, as well.
“We’re getting close to running out of time here,” Mendoza said. “The biggest thing for us is praying for the best here.”
Garrett, 32, remains under team control for four more seasons but could become eligible for arbitration this offseason through the Super 2 rule.