New York Mets reliever AJ Minter was placed on the 15-day injured list after suffering a left lat strain, the club announced ahead of their Sunday matinee against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
The 31-year-old lefty was pulled after hurling just nine pitches in the eighth inning of the club’s 2-0 victory over the Nationals on Saturday. Initially, he felt discomfort in his triceps, but he identified the true source of the injury after meeting with the trainers postgame.
Manager Carlos Mendoza noted after the contest that he forecasted Minter making his way to the IL, a sentiment shared by the pitcher himself.
“I’m just glad it wasn’t my elbow,” Minter said Saturday. “That was what I was really, I guess, happy about. But yeah, I mean, we’re probably looking at an IL stint, just hopefully I can come back and get this thing fixed and continue to help the team.”
The Mets signed the left-hander to a two-year, $22 million contract ahead of the 2025 season, an investment that’s already paying off early in the year. Minter has appeared in 13 games thus far, boasting a 1.64 ERA and a clean 1.00 WHIP with 14 strikeouts through 11 innings. In his last seven appearances, he boasted a 0.00 ERA with just two hits and four walks.
Minter has been an integral part of the Mets’ bullpen, a well-oiled machine that has the third-lowest ERA in baseball (2.46).
“It’s super frustrating,” Minter said. “I was happy with the way the ball is coming out, and obviously the team’s off to a great start. And just — you never want to miss [time] and being away from your teammates, especially when the season’s going great.
“But my job now is to get this thing fixed, and I’m fully confident that [I’ll] come back and continue to help this team.”
In correspondence with the move, New York recalled righty reliever José Ureña to fill Minter’s spot on the roster.
