PHILADELPHIA -- Max Kranick, a revelation out of the Mets’ bullpen early this season, is going to miss much of the summer recovering from injury.
An MRI revealed a flexor strain in Kranick’s pitching arm, which will prevent him from throwing for 3-4 weeks. The right-hander will need to build back up after that, making him unlikely to return before August.
Still, the prognosis is far from a worst-case scenario for Kranick, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022. When he complained of elbow soreness this week, Mets officials feared he might require another operation.
“The ligament is fine,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s going to be down for quite a bit, but relatively good news here.”
Kranick, who began this season with a run of six consecutive scoreless appearances, provided Mendoza with significant value given his ability to pitch as many as three innings at a time out of the bullpen. He produced a 2.55 ERA in March and April before allowing runs in five of his first six May appearances.
Following a brief stay in the Minors, Kranick returned to the Majors late last week but complained of elbow soreness after pitching two scoreless innings Sunday against the Rays. The Mets sent Kranick for an MRI, which revealed the flexor strain.
Overall, Kranick produced a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings prior to his injury.
In part due to injuries, the Mets have spent much of June shuttling fresh arms in and out of their bullpen. They continued spinning that carousel on Saturday, calling up right-handers Chris Devenski and Tyler Zuber, while optioning Justin Garza and Blade Tidwell back to Triple-A Syracuse.