Some bad news on the Mets’ rotation injury front: according to multiple reports, the Mets could be shutting down LHP Jose Quintana for three months due to a fractured rib.
Per SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets are “still gathering information as they determine Quintana’s timeline,” and the team will know “within a few days how long to shut him down.” However, Mike Puma of the New York Post cites a source in saying that three-month shutdown is already expected.
A three-month shutdown would put Quintana in line to start throwing somewhere around mid-June, with a best-case scenario for return right around the trade deadline.
Quintana, who signed a two-year, $26 million deal this offseason, left a start last Sunday with tightness in his left side, and imaging revealed a stress fracture of his fifth rib on his left side. He pulled out of pitching for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic because of the injury, and now, it looks like he could miss the first half of the season, if not more.
David Peterson and Tylor Megill now seem to be battling to replace the 34-year-old in the rotation, and per Puma, while Peterson would be a straight lefty for lefty swap (Quintana is/was the only southpaw in the nominal starting five), “team officials appear most intrigued by the idea of giving the spot to Megill, who pitched to a 1.93 ERA in five starts to begin last season before he was derailed by injuries.”
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