Mets reliever Dedniel Núñez will miss the rest of the 2024 season with a flexor damage, supervisor Carlos Mendoza advised reporters (together with Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). The proper-hander obtained a platelet-rich plasma injection in the present day as he seeks to keep away from surgical procedure, however he is not going to have time to make it again to the sphere in 2024.
Till lately, the Mets had been optimistic they’d have Núñez again earlier than the top of the common season. Earlier this month, DiComo reported that Núñez would be capable of “ramp up rapidly” as soon as he bought again on a mound, and the Mets weren’t even planning to ship him for extra checks. Simply final Monday, Tim Britton of The Athletic wrote that Núñez had “felt higher of late” and prompt the Mets had been hopeful he might start a throwing program shortly. For sure, that’s not the case.
Núñez, 28, was having fun with an outstanding debut season in Queens. From his MLB debut on April 9 to his last look on August 24, he threw 35 innings with a 2.31 ERA and a couple of.13 SIERA. He began as an up-and-down, low-leverage reliever however rapidly grew to become one in all Mendoza’s most trusted arms. Sadly, the righty landed on the IL on the finish of July with a pronator pressure, and after making his manner again for one look on the finish of August, his forearm troubles got here again. The crew has not provided a timeline for his return this time, however hopefully, if he can keep off the surgical desk, he’ll be able to go subsequent spring.
Fortunately for the Mets, their aid corps stays a power, even in Núñez’s absence. For the reason that commerce deadline, the Mets rank eighth in baseball with a 3.28 bullpen ERA. Edwin Díaz, Reed Garrett, Phil Maton, and Danny Younger all have ERAs beneath 3.00 in that point. José Buttó hasn’t been fairly as sharp as of late, however he has a 2.70 ERA on the 12 months. In the meantime, veteran Adam Ottavino has sturdy underlying numbers in his 14th massive league marketing campaign; his 3.18 SIERA is greater than a full run higher than his 4.29 ERA this season. The Mets have gained eight of their final 10 and 19 of their final 30 video games, however they’ll nonetheless want each benefit they will get as they attempt to maintain off the Braves within the Wild Card race. An efficient bullpen might be vital down the stretch and probably into October.