New York Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea suffered a right oblique strain that will shut him down for multiple weeks and likely keep him on the injured list through the start of the 2025 season, manager Carlos Mendoza revealed on Monday.
“It could take seven, 14, 21 days to heal,” Mendoza said. “Once he’s symptom-free, he’ll start his throwing again.”
The 33-year-old southpaw reunited with the Mets on a three-year, $75 million deal this winter to serve as the rotation’s No. 2 arm behind Kodai Senga. Manaea had a resurgent first season in Queens in 2024, going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.084 WHIP. His 181.2 innings pitched was a career-high, while his 184 strikeouts were the second-most of his career.
He first felt discomfort in the area at the beginning of camp.
“It kind of never really got any better,” Manaea said. “Nothing got worse. It just plateaued. The worst part was that it never got better. I’ve been throwing, I’ve been pitching, and the recovery hasn’t really been the greatest in between.”
Manaea’s injury is already the second prominent blow to the Mets’ rotation during spring training. Frankie Montas, who was acquired in free agency over the winter, suffered a lat issue during the first official workout day of camp on Feb. 12. He was shut down from throwing for at least six to eight weeks and then needs a full spring-training-like ramp-up period before joining the rotation, meaning a season debut might not come until late May or early June.
Unlike Montas, though, Manaea is one of two established arms alongside Senga — who pitched just 5.1 regular-season innings last year due to injury — that were set to carry the rotation in 2025. President of baseball operations David Stearns built a six-man rotation with ample arms but not necessarily established depth.
Clay Holmes is transitioning from the Yankees’ closer to a starter with the Mets, while David Peterson still has to prove that last year’s 10-3, 2.90 ERA is the norm.
The No. 6 spot of the rotation was supposed to be a competition between Paul Blackburn, Tylor Megill, and Griffin Canning, but injuries are now thrusting the borderline starters into established rotational spots should Stearns opt not to go outside of the organization for help.
