Manaea (right oblique strain) likely to miss Opening Day for Mets
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Over the offseason, Mets officials made a strategic decision to build their rotation based on depth rather than ceiling. Instead of pursuing the top arms available in free agency, the team cast a wider net, bringing eight big league-tested starting pitchers to camp.
That number has quickly shrunk to five. The team announced Monday that Sean Manaea has a right oblique strain and will miss Opening Day. Manaea¡¯s injury comes a week after Frankie Montas suffered a high-grade right lat strain that will keep him sidelined until at least mid-May.
Manaea will not throw for the next two to three weeks, after which he will restart his spring progression. He¡¯s unlikely to return before mid- to late April.
¡°From my end, it¡¯s very, very disappointing,¡± Manaea said. ¡°I hate being injured. If I¡¯m not out there pitching, doing my job, it sucks. I¡¯m going to do everything I can to get there as healthy and as quick as possible.¡±
Shortly after arriving at camp, Manaea began feeling unusual soreness in his right midsection. Because he didn¡¯t consider it a major issue, Manaea continued throwing bullpen sessions and even a live BP. His soreness never worsened, but it also never improved. As Manaea described the situation, things ¡°just kind of plateaued.¡±
Finally, last weekend, he and the Mets decided an MRI was the best course of action. That revealed the strain.
¡°I thought I was doing everything I could this offseason to train, and it just kind of popped up,¡± Manaea said. ¡°But all that being said, I¡¯d rather miss a couple weeks now, the beginning of the season, instead of doing something and then missing a significant amount of time.¡±
With Manaea and Montas both absent, the Mets have three remaining rotation locks in Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes and David Peterson. Three others fighting for spots are Paul Blackburn, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill.
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A team source said the Mets remain uninterested in adding additional rotation depth -- at least for now. Although former Mets left-hander Jose Quintana remains a free agent, club officials believe they have enough depth to tide them over until Manaea and, eventually, Montas return.
Beyond the six names listed above, Justin Hagenman and Brandon Waddell represent the organization¡¯s next wave of depth. After that are Brandon Sproat (2025 No. 46 overall prospect), Blade Tidwell (Mets' 2024 No. 8 prospect) and Dom Hamel (New York's No. 15 prospect).
¡°You hate to see it, especially before we get to March, two of your guys are going down,¡± manager Carlos Mendoza said. ¡°But we¡¯ve been talking about our depth, and here we are getting tested. The way I see it, guys will get opportunities. We still feel really good with what we have internally. With Manaea, I¡¯m not overly concerned. So we¡¯ll see.¡±
Ultimately, much of the Mets¡¯ potential will depend upon Manaea¡¯s ability to recover quickly. The team¡¯s top pitcher last year, Manaea went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA over 32 starts. He improved notably in the second half after dropping his arm slot and remained strong into October, delivering a brilliant outing in National League Division Series Game 3 against the Phillies. As a reward, Manaea signed a three-year, $75 million contract over the offseason to return to New York.
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Had Manaea been healthy, he would have been a prime candidate to start Opening Day for the Mets.
¡°The Opening Day start is cool, but I just want to be out there and pitch,¡± Manaea said. ¡°That¡¯s not really much of my worry. Other guys have got to step up and do the job, and I¡¯ll just be back whenever I can.¡±
Elsewhere on the roster, infielder Nick Madrigal learned Monday that he fractured his left shoulder while dislocating it during Sunday¡¯s game against the Nationals. Madrigal will be ¡°out for a long time,¡± according to Mendoza.
An early favorite to earn a spot on New York¡¯s bench, Madrigal is no longer a consideration for Opening Day. In his absence, No. 12 prospect Luisangel Acu?a, Brett Baty, Donovan Walton, Jared Young and Luis De Los Santos will compete for one open bench spot, with Acu?a and Walton -- and potentially Baty, if he gets spring reps -- standing out as options who can play shortstop. While the Mets don¡¯t believe they need a full-time backup shortstop on their roster, they at least want someone who can finish a game in the event of a blowout.
The Mets remain unmotivated to pursue a reunion with free agent Jose Iglesias, a source said, because they value roster flexibility.
¡°We still feel good with what we have,¡± Mendoza said.