New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty needs surgery on a torn UCL in his right thumb, the team announced on Wednesday.
He will undergo the procedure on Thursday and is expected to miss approximately five weeks.
The 22-year-old got imaging done earlier this week with Mets manager Buck Showalter saying earlier on Wednesday that the team was deciphering whether or not he’d be available for Wednesday night’s matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was available to pinch-run during Tuesday night’s series opener.
Baty made his MLB debut in Atlanta on Aug. 17, batting .184 with two home runs and five RBI in 11 games.
While Eduardo Escobar made his return from the IL this week to assume everyday responsibilities at third base, the Mets are in need of another body to put at the hot corner. Luis Guillorme is making his way back from a groin injury and could make a rehab start as soon as this weekend.
For the time being, minor-league options like Mark Vientos could be considered — especially with the MLB rosters expanding from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1.
Guillorme, who suffered the injury in mid-August, was initially forecasted to miss three-to-four weeks. But if he can run at full speed — he ran the bases Wednesday at Citi Field — during his rehab stint with either Double-A Binghamton or Triple-A Syracuse, he could be back ahead of schedule.
“He’s feeling the right things. He’s not quite there,” Showalter said. “If he recovers we’ll feel good about this weekend.”
In terms of Mets arms, Tylor Megill — who is projected to return as a reliever after straining his shoulder in June — is slated to start for Double-A Binghamton on Thursday.
It’s all but certain he’ll still return after Carlos Carrasco, who continued trending in the right direction from a strained oblique after doing some work in the outfield at Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon.
He could return to the Mets’ rotation as soon as this Friday, allowing Showalter to provide an extra day’s rest for the likes of Taijuan Walker and Jacob deGrom.
“He’s doing really well. Really well,” he said of Carrasco. “Trying to nail down what day [he’ll return]. We’re waiting on a couple of pitchers and quite frankly, we’re waiting to see how Jake feels after [Wednesday’s start].”
