WASHINGTON -- The Mets are going to be without one of their left-handed relievers for at least the next few weeks, after A.J. Minter was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left lat strain on Sunday. Right-handed reliever Jos¨¦ Ure?a was recalled to fill Minter's spot in the bullpen.
Minter had exited just nine pitches and one out into the eighth inning of New York¡¯s 2-0 win over Washington on Saturday at Nationals Park. Initially, Minter said that he felt the issue in his triceps -- an injury he had never dealt with before -- but after seeing trainers postgame, it was determined Minter's injury was a lat strain, not his triceps.
The southpaw underwent an MRI pregame Sunday to determine the severity of the strain, though the results were not yet know.
Minter felt some discomfort a few pitches into his outing on Saturday, but it wasn¡¯t until he threw his final pitch -- a cutter to James Wood -- that he felt tightness that tends to indicate some sort of muscle strain.
Both Minter and manager Carlos Mendoza were confident following Saturday's game that the injury would require an IL stint, so Minter's placement on the IL is no surprise.
"I¡¯m just glad it wasn¡¯t my elbow,¡± Minter said Saturday. ¡°That was what I was really, I guess, happy about. But yeah, I mean, we¡¯re probably looking at an IL stint, just hopefully I can come back and get this thing fixed and continue to help the team.¡±
Minter, who was coming back from left hip surgery he underwent while with the Braves last August, had been dominant for the Mets thus far. In 13 appearances he posted a 1.64 ERA while striking out 14 over 11 innings. And he¡¯d only been getting better: In his past seven games, Minter posted a 0.00 ERA while allowing just two hits and four walks.
¡°It¡¯s super frustrating,¡± Minter said. ¡°I was happy with the way the ball is coming out, and obviously the team¡¯s off to a great start. And just -- you never want to miss [time] and being away from your teammates, especially when the season¡¯s going great.
"But my job now is to get this thing fixed, and I¡¯m fully confident that [I¡¯ll] come back and continue to help this team.¡±
To help fill Minter's spot in the bullpen, the Mets turned to Ure?a, whom they signed to a Minor League deal at the end of February. Ure?a has recorded a 2.89 ERA in three starts at Triple-A Syracuse this season, after posting a 3.80 ERA in 33 appearances (nine starts) for Texas last year.
The Mets considered calling up Dedniel N¨²?ez instead, but they like that Ure?a is more built-up and could be both a multi-inning option out of the bullpen or a starter, if need be.
"[Ure?a's] done it before -- a guy that starts, [and] being out of the bullpen, he's built up to almost 75 pitches," Mendoza said. "So he gives us a little bit of length out of the bullpen."
New York has been toying with adding in a sixth starter, particularly as Paul Blackburn (right knee soreness) is not yet ready to return. Ure?a could slot into that role, though Mendoza was reluctant to make any definitive statement.
"We'll see," Mendoza said. "We're still a few days away before we have to make that decision. In the meantime, he's available out of the bullpen and we'll go day by day."
The earliest Ure?a would make a start would be on Tuesday when the Mets return to Citi Field to host the D-backs, against whom he has made five career starts (seven appearances).
The Mets also have other bullpen arms to call on -- including Max Kranick, who stepped up when a fellow reliever exited early for the second time in the past three games (also: Edwin D¨ªaz¡¯s early exit on April 23).
On Saturday, Kranick took his time warming up on the mound before working around a walk (credited to Minter) to get the final two outs of the inning and send the Mets to the ninth unscathed.
"Huge. I mean, unbelievable,¡± Mendoza said. ¡°You know, in every situation, every role -- that's probably back-to-back, now -- when he has to come in and warm up right there in the game on the mound, that's not easy to do. And he continues to attack, continues to make pitches, continues to get outs.¡±