Carlos Carrasco

Mets: Carlos Carrasco takes another step back in his recovery

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The New York Mets are holding steady in the first place of the National League East division despite an unprecedented rash of injuries that have heavily affected the roster. They already got back several key performers, such as Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker, and Pete Alonso, and they are all dominating, but one specific pitcher remains absent and just got more bad news regarding his recovery.

Carlos Carrasco, who came to the Mets alongside Francisco Lindor in a January trade with Cleveland, hasn’t pitched this season after tearing his hamstring in March. And just when we all thought he was ramping up with an eye on returning by late June or early July, he took another step back.

The Mets insist it’s not a setback, he has now stopped throwing off the slope of a mound despite doing so for some time. He will now work on strengthening his leg muscles so that his hamstring can endure the rigors of pitching big league games.

The Mets don’t have a timetable

Naturally, the Mets don’t know exactly when Carrasco will be back, and he is already significantly behind his initial 6-8 week estimate when he got hurt in mid March.

Of course, late June is now out of the question given that, once he strengthens his legs, he will have to go through a full Spring Training-style ramp-up plan in which he starts throwing from flat ground and graduates to a mound, throwing bullpens, facing live hitters and going to a rehab assignment.

In the meantime, Mets’ starters other than David Peterson have been pitching extremely well, led by longtime ace Jacob deGrom but also joined by Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker, who happens to be among the league leaders in ERA.

Carrasco returning eventually, and being the same pitcher he has been over the course of his career, would be a significant addition to the rotation.

New York Mets Injury Report (6/7/21)

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The New York Mets roster is riddled with injuries, but they somehow keep finding ways to win games. Jacob deGrom and Pete Alonso came back during the road trip; who else is close to joining them back on the big league roster?

Luis Guillorme is probably the next Met to return from the IL after over two months on the sidelines with a strained oblique. While Jonathan Villar and Jose Peraza have been serviceable with the bat, Guillorme’s return brings elite defense back to the infield. Guillorme was a modest 6-for-18 before his injury and should get plenty of playing time when he returns.

Hand Issues

J.D. Davis has quickly become a forgotten man thanks to his sprained middle finger on his left hand. He is still wearing a split and is not close to restarting his rehab. Davis has been out since May 1 and was one of the most productive Mets hitters before the injury. He was hitting .390 with two home runs and seven RBIs, and there is still no timetable for his return.

Brandon Nimmo is also dealing with a hand issue, but his is a bone bruise on his finger. Nimmo has begun to swing lightly but is not close to game action. He could not hit off a tee or take soft toss because of the bruised finger, which still leaves his return to action as an unknown.

Albert Almora Jr. is nearing a rehab assignment as he works back from a shoulder contusion he suffered when running into the Citi Field wall on May 11. Even when healthy, Almora’s days could be numbered if they feel Billy McKinney is worth holding on to over him.

Hamstring Injuries

Michael Conforto took batting practice on Saturday, which is a very encouraging sign after his hamstring injury on May 16. His timetable to return is still closer to the end of June, and the Mets would be glad to welcome back his bat. Conforto was hitting just .230 but had a .356 on-base percentage before landing on the IL.

Jeff McNeil is also dealing with a strained hamstring and could begin a rehab assignment this week. McNeil batted just .242 before his injury, but his versatility to play different positions will be needed once he is healthy again.

Tommy Hunter is dealing with a back issue and still has no timetable for his return. He was a key member of the bullpen for a short time when he was healthy. Hunter pitched eight shutout innings over four games, working as an opener once.

Johneshwy Fargas is “feeling better” but still has not done much rehab for his shoulder injury. Fargas is another player who could be without a roster spot once he is healthy.

See You Soon?

Noah Syndergaard has been shut down for six weeks, which means he will not pick up a baseball again until July. Syndergaard had inflammation in his right elbow after making a couple of rehab outings. The news is devastating for a pitching start that is always missing multiple key arms.

Carlos Carrasco is one of those critical arms the Mets are missing and is quickly becoming the pitching version of Jed Lowrie. A combination of elbow soreness and hamstring issues have significantly slowed down his rehab assignment. Carrasco was pitching 4-5 innings a month ago, and then his injuries forced the Mets to shut him down. At this point, we may see Syndergaard return to the Citi Field mound before Carrasco makes his debut.

 

 

FOCO Releases New York Mets Cookie Club Bobblehead Series

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FOCO is releasing a new limited edition New York Mets Cookie Club Bobblehead Series to commemorate the closest group of teammates in baseball. The first series of bobbleheads feature Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and the newest Met, Carlos “Cookie” Carrasco.

There are 221 of the unique bobbleheads on sale. Each one features a player in their trademark pose and on top of a cookie. Each bobblehead is just $50, and it is your best way to see them as all of them are battling injuries at the moment. This is just the first series of the fantastic collection; Mets fans make sure to keep an eye out for the next batch of wonderful bobbleheads.

Mets move Carlos Carrasco to 60-day IL, significantly pushing back his return

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The New York Mets had been suffering some nagging, annoying injuries lately. Starters Marcus Stroman and Jacob deGrom were banged up in the last few days, but fortunately, neither issue evolved, but third baseman JD Davis and outfielder Brandon Nimmo were placed on the 10-day injured list with hand ailments.

The Mets had hoped to have starter Carlos Carrasco back by next week. The righty had suffered a high grade hamstring tear in mid-March and was given a 6-8 week timetable. There was hope the team could have him back for mid-May, but that is not happening now.

The Mets placed Carrasco on the 60-day injured list, preventing a return to action before May 31. It is a considerable blow for a franchise that needs that fifth starter, since Joey Lucchesi hasn’t been able to establish himself.

The Mets insist that Carrasco did not suffer a setback, and instead, they want to take things extremely slow with the starter. They want to avoid scenarios in which he can aggravate the injury.

The Mets’ pitcher hasn’t recovered as hoped

Carrasco, according to the team’s official page, hasn’t been able to push the muscle as much as he would like.

He has been pitching in simulated games and is reportedly stretched out to six innings. However, the Mets want to see him field his position without any type of hesitation, and that requires full confidence on the muscle.

The Mets pushed Carrasco in workouts this month, but his hamstring did not respond as well as they had hoped.

“He has done everything … it’s just right now, he hasn’t done it at game speed,” manager Luis Rojas said. “We still want to do that a little more before he joins us, and still take it with care.”

Now, Carrasco will make at least two rehab starts before rejoining the Mets. “We reassessed the timeline,” Rojas said. “There are some things we still want to test on the field.”

Mets: JD Davis lands back on the injured list; Carrasco to stretch out to six innings

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JD Davis has been, without a question, one of the most productive hitters in the New York Mets’ roster, with a .390 average and a couple of home runs. The problem is that he hasn’t been able to be on the field much recently, and the team just put him on the 10-day injured list on Monday for the second time already.

The Mets’ third baseman is nursing a left hand sprain. Davis had to leave Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies with the injury, and hasn’t played since. Now, he will be on the shelf for a few more days as he recovers from the issue.

“We’re still evaluating him just to see what he can do out there with that sprain that he has in his hand,” Mets’ manager Luis Rojas said of Davis. “But they’re both in a similar spot as they were yesterday.”

In the previous sentence, Rojas is also referring to Nimmo, who also had to leave Saturday’s tilt with a finger injury.

“Nimmo is better,” Rojas said. “Improving, but slowly. Not able to start. … His availability out of the bench, we shall see.”

In fact, Nimmo appeared as a defensive substitution on Sunday, but didn’t show up on Monday’s box score in the Mets’ loss against the St. Louis Cardinals. However, he, unlike Davis, was able to avoid the injured list, at least for the time being. He is expected to retake his leadoff spot in the next few days.

Could the Mets have Carrasco back soon?

In other injury news, Mets’ starter Carlos Carrasco, who has been out the whole season to this point while nursing a high-grade hamstring tear, is about to return.

The right-hander, who came from Cleveland alongside Francisco Lindor, will stretch to six innings today in Port St. Lucie.

If everything goes well, he could either debut with the Mets in his next start or pitch one last tune-up with a minor league affiliate, according to what Rojas told SNY.

He could theoretically replace Joey Lucchesi, who was battered on Monday.

Mets’ Carlos Carrasco is stretched out to five innings and may only need one additional rehab start

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In a mildly surprising turn of events, all NL East teams have a sub-.500 record entering Friday. The New York Mets are currently in third place with a 9-10 mark and a .474 winning percentage. Most of the problems have been associated with the offense, or lack thereof.

The pitching rotation hasn’t been a problem so far. The Mets, thankfully, have quite possibly the best pitcher in the planet in Jacob deGrom, and the other components have also been good: Marcus Stroman has a 2.22 ERA, Taijuan Walker is at 2.14, while David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi have been competent even if the numbers don’t fully agree.

Yet, the Mets gave up important assets to acquire Carlos Carrasco, together with Francisco Lindor, in January. The injured starter has been rehabbing a hamstring tear for a few weeks now, but could be on the verge of returning if we judge his last few steps.

The Mets are on the verge of getting Carrasco back

Mets’ MLB beat writer Anthony DiComo recently reported that Carrasco pitched five innings during a rehab game on Thursday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He suffered his torn right hamstring in the middle of March and was given a 6-8 week timetable.

According to SNY, Carrasco could possibly be activated from the injured list after one more rehab start. That would be a dream scenario for the Mets, which would benefit from his steady veteran right arm.

Mets manager Luis Rojas had said on April 15, after Carrasco stretched out to four innings, that he was still considered “week-to-week.” And while his return isn’t imminent, it could happen in the first half of May.

Carrasco can be lined up in the same turn as Lucchesi, considered the Mets’ fifth starter, and could potentially take his spot on May 9 if everything goes well, although it’s just speculation at this point.

New York Mets Injury Report (April 26, 2021)

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The New York Mets have had relatively good luck with injuries to start the season and even saw a bullpen arm leave the injured list over the weekend. Drew Smith left the 10-day IL and went to the Mets alternate site. The right-handed reliever was dealing with shoulder soreness after having an excellent spring training. Smith only allowed one hit in three innings with the same number of strikeouts and figures to rejoin the bullpen when fully healthy.

Carlos Carrasco is progressing nicely from the hamstring tear he suffered in spring training. On Saturday, Carrasco pitched four innings without any issues for the second consecutive outing. Since Carrasco does not have any lingering problems, the focus has shifted toward getting himself ready to make a full start when he rejoins the roster. Manager Luis Rojas said Carrasco is expected to make his Mets debut during the second week of May.

Seth Lugo is being treated very carefully as he works his way back from elbow surgery. He has begun to throw bullpen sessions and expects to throw live bp within the next couple of weeks. The original timeline had Lugo set to return in June, but he can return towards the end of May at his current pace. Since Lugo’s focus is relief pitching, there is no need to ramp him up to throw more than two innings.

Thor Inching Back

On Saturday, Noah Syndergaard pitched in an intersquad game for the first time. Syndergaard’s fastball is not at 100 mph yet, but a stellar 97 is still plenty for Thor. Rojas and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner were pleased with what they saw in the one-inning outing. Syndergaard threw all of his pitches to the five batters he faced. For the next six weeks, Syndergaard will go through a regular spring training atmosphere to get himself ready to pitch every fifth day. If Syndergaard progresses as expected, he will return to the mound in mid-June.

Dellin Betances has proven to be the pitching version of Jed Lowrie as he landed on the 60-day IL with a right shoulder impingement. He made one appearance this season before heading to the IL. Betances struggled to find his velocity or the strike zone during the spring, making him impossible to use in any critical situation. Whether he is actually injured or not, the Mets are buying themselves time to determine if Betances actually has anything left in the tank.

Mets: Carlos Carrasco will start doing fielding work soon and is already stretched out to four innings

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The New York Mets received some positive news regarding the injury of one of their most important players for the 2021 season. Pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who came from Cleveland via trade with his friend Francisco Lindor, will soon report to the team’s alternate training site to start doing some fielding drills, according to Anthony DiComo.

The Mets lost Carrasco, who is currently 34 years old, to a torn hamstring on March 18. He was recovering from a bout of right elbow soreness that he said was normal for him during spring training, but the high-grade hamstring tear put him out for at least six to eight weeks.

It would appear, however, that the Mets’ starter is progressing somewhat ahead of schedule. According to the latest reports, Carrasco is already stretched out to pitch four innings on the mound and “is doing really good right now,” per manager Luis Rojas.

The Mets are currently using Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, David Peterson, Taijuan Walker, and Joey Lucchesi in their rotation so far in the 2021 season. Once Carrasco is ready to return, Rojas will have to make a decision, although he has implied that he prefers a traditional five-man rotation.

The Mets hope to have Carrasco back before June

As for Carrasco, the Mets’ skipper has indicated that the organization is taking a “week-to-week” approach to make sure he doesn’t aggravate the injury. Hamstring injuries are extremely tricky to deal with, and the medical staff knows that.

Carrasco started a throwing program on March 29, roughly 11 days after suffering the hamstring injury. He has made sure his arm is ready to go whenever he leaves his leg ailment behind.

He was throwing his entire repertoire in a simulated game on April 4, when he threw a total of two innings. He is definitely trending in the right direction, and it looks like the Mets can have him back before June.

Canceling The Mets Opening Series Could Open Up The Starting Rotation

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

The last 24 hours leading to Opening Day were a complete whirlwind for the New York Mets. At 11 p.m. on Wednesday, they announced the Francisco Lindor extension, which set the momentum going towards the following night’s game. 12 hours later, the disappointment of a postponed game quickly calmed down the positive vibes heading into the day.

The Mets knew there was at least one positive COVID case on Wednesday, but the announcement of two more on Thursday forced a postponement of game one. While the three positives do not affect the Mets roster, there could still be more lingering throughout the Nats clubhouse. The players in close contact also quarantine for a limited time. Even with a taxi squad, the Nats will need to make more roster moves to field a 26-man roster for their first game. They faced this same issue at the beginning of 2020 when Juan Soto missed time with a positive test.

Rotation Strength

For the Mets, we still know that Jacob deGrom will pitch the first game of the season, no matter when they play. At this point, it seems that they will open their season on Monday, April 5, in Philadelphia against the Phillies. It still allows Luis Rojas to set his 4-man rotation as he planned before the postponements. deGrom will be followed by Marcus Stroman, David Peterson, and Taijuan Walker before their off-day on Friday.

The Mets ace can return to the mound Saturday, and they can go all the way to April 14 without using a fifth starter. This would be one of two games in April where the Mets would need a fifth starter. After Joey Lucchesi‘s start on the 14th, they have the following two Mondays off. This allows deGrom to get his usual rest and sneak in an extra start out of it. The Mets also get the final Thursday in April off, which allows them to get back to the 4-man rotation for another week.

Not only does this help the current roster, but it helps the Mets on the shelf. Carlos Carrasco‘s absence will not feel as Lucchesi only has two April starts. The same could be said for Seth Lugo as they get an extra arm in the bullpen when Lucchesi goes more than his regular rest without making a start. Of course, we all want the Mets season to get started, but this is the best way to bring light to a dark situation.

Mets’ Carlos Carrasco stays mentally strong after injury: “This is nothing for me”

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

The New York Mets’ pitching depth will be put to test for the first few weeks of the season, as they are set to enter the year without one of their best starters, right-hander Carlos Carrasco.

The Mets acquired Carrasco together with All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor in January, sending shortstops Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez plus two prospects to the Cleveland Indians.

Carrasco had reported late to spring training as he underwent additional imaging and testing related to his 2019 leukemia, and just when he was starting to ramp up, he suffered elbow soreness that had everybody in the Mets’ organization in fear.

However, he explained that wasn’t uncommon for him during spring training over the course of his career. But just when he was starting to build up arm strength again, he tore his right hamstring. The Mets have been adamant to put a timetable for his return, but according to MLB.com’s beat writer Anthony DiComo, they privately think he can make it back in 6-8 weeks.

The Mets are counting on him

Even the pitcher himself doesn’t know when he will be back exactly, but he is not letting the series of injuries affect his mindset.

The Mets know that they brought a fighter into the fold. During his life, Carrasco has recovered from leukemia and heart issues. He learned how to be patient and disciplined, and knows he will be back eventually.

“If something happens, it’s going to happen,” Carrasco said. “I’ve been through a lot. My elbow, my hamstring is nothing for me. I’ve been through worse with my leukemia, all that kind of stuff. This is nothing for me.”

Carrasco, 34, pitched very well for the Cleveland Indians in 2020, with a 2.91 ERA in 68 frames, and a 10.85 K/9 mark. He has been a fantastic starter during the course of his career, with a 3.77 ERA.