The Mets entered the spring with a large group of relievers, most of whom have major league experience and minor league options, allowing the club flexibility to trade and supplement as needed throughout the year. When pitchers and catchers reported a month ago, there were 2-3 bullpen spots and about eight pitchers vying for them.
But over the past week, three relievers have been hurt, with Sam Coonrod being the last arm to go down. Coonrod, a right-hander who came to the Mets as a waiver claim over the winter, was diagnosed with a high-grade right-lateral strain Wednesday, putting him out of the running for one of those Opening Day spots. The club did not provide a timetable, but a typical return for pitchers is 6-8 weeks before starting a pitching schedule.
Earlier in the week, the Mets had to shut down talented right-hander prospect Bryce Montes de Oca with an elbow stress reaction. Montes de Oca, who often gets injured, will not pitch for 3 or 4 weeks. Last week, lefty Brooks Raley withdrew from the World Baseball Classic due to a hamstring injury. Raley is pitching, but general manager Billy Eppler said he won’t be in a game for about a week.
Coonrod, a 30-year-old who joined the San Francisco Giants and spent the past two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, had had a stellar spring, not allowing an earned run in five innings. He pitches in the high 90s with a hard slider and good changeup and is equally effective against right and left-handed hitters. In his career, he has held righties to a .244 average and lefties to a .243 average.
( Mets remove right-hander Kodai Senga from Saturday’s opener with ‘sore’ right finger )
Coonrod previously lost time with a sideline strain in 2020 with San Francisco. He’s also missed significant time the past two seasons with forearm tendonitis and shoulder pain. However, he has an option year left that still makes him an attractive candidate when he’s healthy.
It’s a blow to the Mets’ bullpen and to the St. Louis native who was trying to come back after a few off seasons.
It looks like Raley should be healthy by Opening Day and the Mets have placed him in the bullpen since he was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays during the Winter Meetings in December. Without Raley, the Mets may not have lefties in their bullpen. They could opt to bring in Joey Lucchesi to use as a long reliever, but there’s a chance Lucchesi could start the season in Triple-A as a starter so the club could have an extended option in Syracuse that would be ready to go. the event needed to call it to start.
Justin Verlander looks almost ready for the regular season. He pitched five scoreless innings in the Mets’ 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday at Clover Park, allowing just one hit and striking out eight. He struck out the side in the third inning and worked fast, despite feeling “sloppy.”
Catcher Tomas Nido homered off Drew VerHagen in the fifth, his third of the spring.
Third base prospect Brett Baty continued his good hitting and improved his average to .400 in the spring and now has a 1.033 OPS. However, he also made his fourth Grapefruit League mistake of the season.
