The New York Mets injury issues continue to pile up. This time it’s starting pitcher Marcus Stroman and there’s no timetable on his return.
Mike Puma of the New York Post is reporting that New York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman is dealing with calf tightness. This injury has reportedly been bothering Stroman since the beginning of summer camp.
Mets manager Luis Rojas told Puma that Stroman is currently day-to-day. The team doesn’t believe the injury is a big deal, but Stroman hasn’t pitched since Friday and is in danger of missing at least one start.
Rojas mentioned Corey Oswalt, reliever Erasmo Ramirez, and prospect David Peterson as potential replacements for Stroman if he has to go on the injured list. Rojas also says that he hasn’t fleshed out the pitching rotation yet.
He knows that Jacob deGrom, who had an injury scare of his own, will pitch Opening Day, but he doesn’t know after that. It was widely expected that Stroman would be behind deGrom after the injury to Noah Syndergaard. That might not be the case with Stroman’s injury.
Next in line would likely be Steven Matz or Rick Porcello. Matz has reportedly seen an uptick in velocity and is now sitting in the mid to high 90s. If true that would make him one of the hardest throwing lefties in all of MLB. That makes him a much more intriguing pitcher and could lead to a breakout season for the former top prospect.
Meanwhile, Porcello pitched on Saturday against the New York Yankees. That would mean exactly one week in between starts if he took the No. 2 spot.
The Mets should be able to handle losing Stroman for a few days. Delaying his start to the season would be reasonable. However, losing Stroman for an extended period of time could doom the Mets. He’s their second-best pitcher and replacing him would be an incredibly difficult task. It could lead to an early exit from the playoff race for the New York Mets.
Update
Tim Healy of Newsday is reporting that Marcus Stroman has been placed on the IL with a torn muscle in his calf.
Mets news: Marcus Stroman is on the injured list with a muscle tear in his left calf.
Robert Gsellman is on the injured list with right triceps tightness.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) July 22, 2020
He will likely miss a lengthy period of time with the injury.
