QUEENS, NY — New York Mets reliever Reed Garrett is headed to the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed before Monday’s series opener at Citi Field against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The right-hander will receive a cortisone shot and will be shut down “for a couple of days.”
Mendoza called it “relatively good news” after an MRI on Monday morning only showed inflammation. It suggests that Garrett will only have to spend the minimum allotted time on the shelf before returning to New York’s bullpen.
The 32-year-old Garrett was on course to pitch the most innings in a single season in his career, going 52.1 frames to the tune of a 3.61 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and a 1.223 WHIP. He had been encountering difficulties recovering in between outings, to the point where discomfort felt during a catch on Sunday down in Atlanta prompted the Mets to get imaging done on his elbow.
“We use this guy a lot,” Mendoza said. “As of late, the past week or so — the past couple of weeks — even on days when people thought he was available, we were staying away from him because he was having a hard time.”
Alvarez ahead of schedule
Catcher Francisco Alvarez is already participating in batting practice after suffering a UCL sprain in his right thumb on Aug. 17 against the Seattle Mariners, forcing the Mets to place him on the 10-day IL last Tuesday.
If things continue trending in this direction, the 23-year-old backstop could be participating in minor-league rehab games as soon as Wednesday or Thursday.
“I couldn’t believe it [when] somebody sent me a video of him hitting here, back at Citi Field [on Sunday],” Mendoza said. “I was like, ‘There’s no way this guy is swinging the bat.’… That’s pretty impressive there.”
While gripping the bat is a significant step in the right direction, Alvarez still has to show comfort throwing the baseball. It appears his only way back from the injured list is by playing defense, too, considering the designated hitter spot is already a logjam with Starling Marte and Mark Vientos getting the lion’s share of at-bats there.
“That’s a tough one,” Mendoza said. “But if he’s swinging the bat the way he was swinging before he went down [with that injury], you have to find a way to get him in there as much as you can, but also understanding you have a guy like Vientos who is swinging the bat really well. You have Marte, who’s doing a hell of a job.”
Alvarez appeared to rediscover his stroke at the plate after a month-long demotion stint in Triple-A. Since July 21 (21 games), he was batting .323 with a 1.054 OPS, four home runs, and 13 RBI.
