NEW YORK -- Dedniel Núñez, one of the most talented high-leverage relievers the Mets have developed in recent years, is weighing a second Tommy John surgery to repair an injured right elbow ligament.
Núñez said he felt discomfort in his elbow while throwing a fastball to the final batter he faced in Game 2 of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Brewers. A subsequent MRI revealed an elbow injury with “ligament involvement,” according to president of baseball operations David Stearns. The Mets initially called it a sprain when they placed the right-hander on the 15-day injured list Thursday, but Núñez will receive additional medical opinions before committing to a course of action.
“This one’s a little bit gut-wrenching, because this is a guy that’s worked incredibly hard to get back to this point,” Stearns said. “For him to feel what he did [Wednesday] and have to go through this again, it’s tough.”
The Mets also placed starting pitcher Paul Blackburn on the injured list due to what manager Carlos Mendoza described as a relatively minor right shoulder impingement. Both injuries are further stressing an already tattered pitching staff.
To fill those roster spots in the short term, the Mets called up right-handers Justin Hagenman, Austin Warren and Rico Garcia, while optioning another starter, Blade Tidwell, back to Triple-A Syracuse.
Longer term, Blackburn should miss only a matter of weeks. The Mets’ greater concern lies with Núñez, a breakout reliever last season who struck out 35.6 percent of the batters he faced before straining a flexor tendon in his right arm and missing most of the second half. He avoided surgery over the winter and made it back to the mound early this season, earning multiple callups to the Majors.
In recent weeks, Núñez had begun to resemble his peak self, hitting 99 mph on the radar gun and striking out four batters over a dominant two-inning appearance on June 26 against the Braves.
“It sucks,” Mendoza said. “You feel for the kid, you feel for the athlete. Obviously, great kid, great person. He was huge for us last year, and you were starting to see some of those signs again the way he was throwing the baseball.”
But Wednesday, Núñez, who previously underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, began to feel discomfort in a similar area. The right-hander said he should know whether he’ll need another operation by the middle of next week.
“We’ve just got to wait and see, pray for him, support him,” Mendoza said. “But we’ve got to wait.”