Mets closer Diaz likely out for MLB season after Classic injury / Photo: Eric Espada - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Mets closer Diaz likely out for MLB season after Classic injury
New York Mets closing relief pitcher Edwin Diaz suffered a torn right patellar tendon celebrating a World Baseball Classic victory and surgery will likely sideline him for the 2023 season.
The Major League Baseball club said Thursday that Diaz had suffered a "full-thickness tear" in the right knee tendon and would undergo surgery Thursday.
A typical timeline to recover from such surgery is eight months, Mets general manager Billy Eppler said, without stating a timeline for Diaz.
The 28-year-old Puerto Rican right-hander was injured during a team celebration on Wednesday after he struck out the side in the ninth inning to complete Puerto Rico's 5-2 victory over the Dominican Republic to reach the World Baseball Classic quarter-finals.
Last November, Diaz signed a five-year MLB contract worth $102 million -- the richest deal ever for an MLB relief pitcher.
He was named the 2022 MLB Reliever of the Year after an All-Star campaign that included 32 saves, a 1.31 earned-run average and 118 strikeouts over 62 innings.
"Edwin Diaz is a great human being and a fierce competitor," Mets owner Steve Cohen tweeted. "All of us at the Mets are shaken but determined to sustain our quest for a great season. We wish Edwin a speedy recovery."
The Mets are chasing their first World Series crown since 1986.
N.Baggi--IM
