The Mets’ worst fears were realized on Thursday when general manager Billy Eppler announced that superstar closer Edwin Diaz will likely miss the 2023 season after he suffered a full-thickness tear of his patellar tendon in his right knee shortly after closing out Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night.
He will undergo surgery on Thursday where the general timeline, per Eppler, is eight months for a full recovery.
“Edwin Diaz is a great human being and a fierce competitor,” Mets owner Steve Cohen wrote. “All of us at the Mets are shaken but determined to sustain our quest for a great season. We wish Edwin a speedy recovery.”
Diaz suffered the injury shortly after he helped his Puerto Rican national team take down the powerhouse Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park in Miami to punch its ticket to the quarterfinals where it’ll play Mexico on Friday night. While jumping in celebration with some of his teammates, Diaz went down and needed to be helped off the field and into a wheelchair.
The seriousness of the injury was apparent almost immediately. Diaz’s brother, Alexis, who’s a closer for the Cincinnati Reds, cried as trainers attended to the Mets star. Francisco Lindor, Diaz’s Mets teammate, knelt by the pitcher’s mound and kept his head in his hands.
“It’s just really heartbreaking to hear about Edwin,” Mets slugger and Team USA member Pete Alonso said. “Every day you show up to the yard, there’s a possibility of getting hurt. There’s a hazard in the job. Anyone can get hurt at any given time. Anything can happen.
“That’s the risk we run playing baseball. We’re athletes and injuries are unfortunately part of the game.”
Now the Mets are without their most dependable reliever, who had a historic season in 2022 after striking out more than half of the batters he faced (118 of 235) while posting a 1.31 ERA and 32 saves. He was rewarded by owner Steve Cohen with a record-setting contract for a reliever, inking a five-year, $102 million deal this offseason.
New York is already dealing with injuries to relievers Brooks Raley (hamstring) and Sam Coonrad (high-grade lat tear) and has been linked with bringing on veteran southpaw Zack Britton for added bullpen depth.
