In addition to Starling Marte's sore oblique, the Mets have their first pitching malady update of the spring: Taijuan Walker underwent a right knee debridement in January, and is "a bit behind" the other pitchers in Mets camp.
"Walker underwent a debridement procedure on his right knee in mid-January. He is currently throwing off the mound and has been cleared for baseball activity. He will remain in a running progression at this time before being cleared for full-game activity," the Mets said in an official statement Monday.
That said, manager Buck Showalter believes Walker "could have a shot" to be ready for his first turn in the rotation, which, given the one-two punch of Opening Day starter Jacob deGrom and free agent acquisition Max Scherzer at the top, wouldn't come before April 9 in Washington.
Even if Walker has to miss a turn or two, the Mets have plenty of rotation depth after acquiring Chris Bassitt on Sunday, with David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Jordan Yamamoto, Trevor Williams, and Thomas Szapucki behind the top five of deGrom, Scherzer, Bassitt, Walker, and Carlos Carrasco.
Walker was an All-Star last season after going 7-3 with a 2.66 ERA in the first half, but he soured in the second half, going winless in 13 starts with a 7.13 ERA.
However, the 94 2/3 innings he threw in the first half were more than he threw in 2018-20 combined due to Tommy John surgery and a shortened season, and the 159 innings he threw last year were the second-most he's ever thrown in a season (169 2/3 in 2015), so workload (as well as the knee) could've been a big factor in the swoon.
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