Injuries Deplete Mets Rotation As Team Struggles To Stay On Top

Forbes

7 hours ago

Stunned teammates tend to Mets pitcher Griffin Canning after he ruptured his hamstring while ... More throwing a pitch against Atlanta Wednesday. (Photo by Kent J. Edwards/Getty Images)
The New York Mets are not only good at baseball but also at Whack-a-Mole.
Their starting rotation is a real-life version of the popular children's game – when one pitcher takes a hit, another pops up.
Entering this weekend, four of the team's starting pitchers are sidelined.
Kodai Senga has a hamstring issue, Tylor Megill is nursing a sore elbow, Griffin Canning has a ruptured Achilles, and Sean Manaea's readiness is A.B.N.Q. (Almost But Not Quite) after a long respite with a pulled oblique, followed by the discovery of a loose body in his pitching elbow.
Sidearmer Sean Manaea, who thrived after copying the style of fellow southpaw Chris Sale, hopes to ... More rejoin the Mets rotation next month. (Photo by)
The left-handed Manaea, a surprise star last summer, has not pitched this season after receiving a contract extension that will pay him $75 million over three years. Newcomer Frankie Montas, who got two years for $34 million via free agency, just joined the rotation for the first time – three months into the season – after recovering from a lat strain.
Only converted closer Clay Holmes, who left the Yankees for a three-year, $38 million Mets contract, and left-hander David Peterson (one year at $4.63 million) have held onto their Opening Day spots in the rotation of manager Carlos Mendoza. Yet the team, buoyed by an uncanny ability to win at home and produce power whenever needed, is clinging to the top of the National League East standings like grim death.
Only a recent bad streak of 10 New York losses in 12 games allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to grab a piece of top rung when the weekend began. The Mets lost, 9-1, in Pittsburgh while the Phils bombarded the Braves, 13–0, in a rain-delayed Friday night game in Atlanta.
That left Philadelphia on top by a thin half-game. But the Phils have a healthier, more established rotation to carry them through the second half.
Mendoza, on the other hand, will have to play Mix & Match with the Mets' rotation.
Mets ace Kodai Senga, sidelined by a strained right hamstring, is expected back after the All-Star ... More Game. (Photo by)
Ideally, he'd like to count on a front five of Senga, Holmes, Montas plus southpaws Manaea and Peterson, with the versatile Megill (one year, $1.975 million) also getting his share of starts. Paul Blackburn, with plenty of starting experience for Oakland, could squeeze into the picture too – especially if the Mets decide to try a six-man rotation that would save wear and tear on each man.
Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner is the magician who turned an underrated staff into one of baseball's best. Entering the weekend, the Mets led both leagues in earned run average by starters (3.11) as well as overall ERA (3.21).
That could change in a hurry, however, as hitting generally improves as the weather warms.
Virtually all of the team's injuries occurred within the past three weeks. First, Senga, the staff ace, suffered a strained right hamstring. Then Megill went down with elbow inflammation.
Neither is expected back until after the July 15 All-Star Game in Atlanta.
'It's part of the game,' Mendoza said of the injuries. 'Our medical group is probably one of the best in the business.
'[Canning's injury] was an unfortunate situation. He wasn't even attempting to make a play.'
Canning, who had a 7-3 record and 3.77 ERA in 16 starts, was never that good during his five years with the Los Angeles Angels. In fact, he had a winning record only once.
He crumpled to the ground after making a pitch in the third inning. Unable to leave the field without trainers on both sides, he submitted to surgery and will now sit on the injured list for at least nine months.
'We signed him and he was very open to the information, the feedback, and everything we had to offer,' Mendoza told reporters. 'He put in a lot of work in the offseason.'
Released by the Braves after they traded Jorge Soler to get him, Canning came to spring training almost as an anonymous figure. But he showed during exhibition play that he could perform well as a starter.
With the July 31 trade deadline little more than a month away, the Mets are expected to be active – especially if a non-contender agrees to unload the salary of veteran pitcher.
Money is no object to Mets owner Steve Cohen, who made a fortune as a hedge fund magnate before buying the ballclub five years ago. When he signed slugger Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract as a free agent last winter, Cohen boosted the team's projected 2025 luxury tax payroll to $327 million – second only to the $395 million of the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Roster Resource.
An unabashed fan of his team, Cohen has said often that he would authorize president of baseball operations David Stearns to increase payroll even if it also increases the club's luxury tax.
The Mets are seeking their first pennant since 2015 and their first world championship since 1986. Philadelphia finished first in the NL East last year, ending a string of six straight division crowns by Atlanta.