The Mets were hit with more discouraging injury news on Monday morning, this time impacting the team’s likely planned Opening Day starter.
Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Sean Manaea has an oblique strain, an injury that will likely land him on the IL to begin the season.
“It could take seven, 14, 21 days to heal,” Mendoza said, via SNY. “Once he's symptom free, he'll start his throwing again.”
While Mendoza added that he isn’t “overly concerned,” the injury likely means that the Mets are without two of their planned starting pitchers for the start of the season, as Frankie Montas is already down with a lat strain that will shut him down for 4-6 weeks. Manaea, the expected ace of the staff, now may also not be ready for the season opener, and perhaps even longer depending on when he can begin throwing after his shutdown period.
Manaea signed a three-year, $75 million deal to return to New York this past offseason. The 33-year-old reinvented himself midway through last season with an altered arm slot, and it paid off in a big way, as he went on to finish the year with a 3.47 ERA with 184 strikeouts across 32 starts.
Mendoza also added that Nick Madrigal has been diagnosed with a fractured shoulder, which will keep him out for “a long time.”