Carlos Carrasco

The New York Mets will be without one of their best starters, Carlos Carrasco, for at least a few weeks. He began experiencing mild elbow soreness early last week and had to stop his throwing program, but after a few days of rest, he had progressed all the way to live batting practice a couple of days ago.

Everything went fine when Carrasco, who the Mets acquired together with shortstop Francisco Lindor in January, threw to live hitters. However, it was a running drill afterward the one that took away the first few weeks of his season, as he suffered a right hamstring tear.

It was diagnosed as a high-grade tear, meaning that the Mets will have to be careful not to rush him back or he could aggravate the injury.

Yet, the Mets are optimistic that their top starter can be back on the mound soon. In fact, they hope they can get their pitcher back by Memorial Day (which is on May 31.)

The Mets are optimistic

Andy Martino of SNY reported that the Mets are confident Carrasco can be back before that date, despite the initial timetable of 6-8 weeks before he could ramp up to being game-ready.

If Martino is correct, the Mets could potentially have Carrasco locked and loaded, fully stretched out and ready to be on a major league mound in about 10 weeks.

With Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard out, the Mets will likely bump David Peterson into the rotation and have one of Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto join Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, and Taijuan Walker.

“We have pretty good depth,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said Thursday. “Not only that but having a guy like [Jacob deGrom] and Marcus [Stroman] and [David] Peterson and guys that also have experience starting games for the last few years in camp definitely gives us a relief when something like this can happen.”

Just when it seemed like he had turned a corner with the elbow soreness he had reported about 10 days ago, New York Mets’ starter injured his right hamstring while doing running drills after throwing live batting practice on Thursday, and is now looking at several weeks on the shelf.

The exact diagnosis, after undergoing imaging, is a torn right hamstring and the Mets expect to have their starter back in about six to eight weeks. It is, indeed, a huge blow to the rotation depth, but one that the club will try to navigate through for the first couple of months of the campaign.

“It’s devastating, man,” teammate Marcus Stroman told MLB.com. “I see how hard Carrasco works, and, obviously, we need him in the rotation, I think, to be elite. I want him in the rotation badly. I know how special he is. I know how great he’s been for his career. So I’m hoping that … he proceeds through this and we can get him back fairly early.”

The Mets need to be careful with Carrasco

Carrasco, acquired by the Mets in January together with shortstop Francisco Lindor, had reported late to camp as he underwent additional imaging and tests related to his leukemia.

Last week, he had reported elbow soreness but said it wasn’t uncommon for him to feel that at this stage of the season, and vowed to be ready for the opening week. He was well on his way to do just that until he tore his hamstring.

A source told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com that “these types of injuries can’t be rushed,” noting that the Mets will have to be careful with their pitcher to avoid any setbacks.

The Mets have the pitching depth to cope with Carrasco’s temporary absence, but it is, without a doubt, a considerable blow to the group, as he was expected to be a mid-rotation stalwart in Queens. He will, just not right now.

New York Mets’ pitcher Carlos Carrasco continues to make excellent progress on the injury front, as he recently gave the team a scare with a minor bout of elbow soreness. You don’t have to be an expert to know that when a hurler suffers elbow issues, there is a wide array of possible outcomes, including the dreaded Tommy John surgery. However, that option is not on the table now as the newcomer is already throwing without problems.

About 10 days ago, the Mets’ pitcher, who came to the team via trade alongside Francisco Lindor, reported some minor soreness in his pitching elbow after throwing to hitters in the club’s spring training complex.

He rested for a few days and explained that it wasn’t overly concerning, which turned out to be true. He started throwing at a 75-feet distance this past weekend and progressed to throwing a bullpen session a couple of days ago.

The Mets think he will be ready

Now, the Mets’ starter, who expects to be ready for the first week of the season (he will take the ball in the third or fourth game of the regular campaign) pitched in a simulated game Thursday in Mets camp according to Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News.

It marked the first time in 10 days, since he reported his minor elbow issue, that Carrasco faced live hitters, and he didn’t report any setbacks, soreness, or inconveniences shortly after the session, which is excellent news for the Mets.

The plan, if he goes through the day without further complications, is for Carrasco to advance to Grapefruit League action in the next few days, as he needs to test his elbow in games before thinking about joining the Mets’ Opening Day roster.

The 33-year-old Carrasco had already reported late to camp as he underwent tests and screening, but it appears that he is well on his way to being ready to start the season, just as he predicted.

After reporting elbow soreness last week, Carlos Carrasco certainly gave the New York Mets quite the scare. They acquired him alongside shortstop Francisco Lindor, with big hopes of filling a void in the pitching rotation.

Thankfully, Carrasco himself tried to calm everybody down after the initial reaction and the associated fear with elbow soreness in a pitcher. He explained that it is not uncommon for him to feel it at this point of the year and that a couple of days of rest would do the trick.

Apparently, and fortunately for the Mets, that appeared to be the case, at least up until this point. Carrasco tested the elbow over the weekend by throwing from 75 feet, then increasing the distance.

The latest step forward for the Mets’ hurler was throwing an 18-pitch bullpen session this morning, according to what manager Luis Rojas told the press via Zoom.

The Mets hope to have Carrasco ready soon

So far, Carrasco has reported no additional issues or soreness, which means that the next step for the Mets’ pitcher will be facing live hitters on Thursday, two days from now.

Carrasco vowed to be ready for Opening Day, which seemed far-fetched last week but is starting to become a real possibility as the days go by and continues to make progress. He is, barring any setbacks, expected to start the third or fourth game of the regular season for the Mets.

In other Mets news, Rojas isn’t convinced on the number of pitchers he is going to carry on the Opening Day 26-man roster. He is still undecided between 13 or 14.

Perhaps influencing the decision is the battle for the fifth starter job, which according to Rojas, is “really tight”. David Peterson, Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto are all fighting to be part of the top five that will enter the season with a regular pitching turn.

Last week, the New York Mets got a scare when star pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who was acquired alongside shortstop Francisco Lindor from the Cleveland Indians, reported some soreness in his right (pitching) elbow after throwing in the team’s complex.

However, the outlook of the talented Mets hurler has apparently taken a turn for the best, as Carrasco himself claimed he will be ready by the time Opening Day rolls.

He was seen smiling at the Mets’ camp on Sunday after testing his right arm in a throwing session for the first time since being shut down early last week.

“I don’t feel frustrated about this; this is something normal for me,” Carrasco said to MLB.com. “I’m really happy that I started throwing today, and I’ll just kind of take it day by day now.”

The Mets want to proceed with caution

The pitcher had thrown live batting practice on Monday and was shut down on Wednesday after reporting the soreness. However, he always clarified that it isn’t uncommon for him to feel that soreness around this time in spring training.

The Mets decided not to order an MRI, and apparently, a few days of rest did the trick.

Carrasco threw from 75 feet on Sunday and reported no issues whatsoever. Today, he will throw from 90-120 feet and see where it goes from there for the rest of the spring.

“You’ve got to trust his feel for his body and his experience and our medical staff, trainers, our performance stuff getting a good connection with him,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said. “Learning today that he threw and he felt great and he’s looking at the next couple of days to throw a side, it definitely gives you that peace of mind. It’s a very good day.”

Rojas isn’t so sure, but Carrasco is convinced he will be ready for the start of the season. “I know my body, I know my routine, I know everything,” Carrasco said. “I’m going to be ready for the season.”

The New York Mets’ pitching plans during the offseason revolved around right-hander Carlos Carrasco. They didn’t sign Trevor Bauer, Jake Odorizzi, James Paxton, Charlie Morton or Corey Kluber in part because they were already acquiring a proven star hurler with years of experience at the highest level in MLB.

They did add Joey Lucchesi via trade and signed Jordan Yamamoto and Taijuan Walker, but as far as pitching goes, Carrasco was the Mets’ biggest addition. That is why any developments that have to do with the health of his elbow will fire the alarms in Queens.

According to what Mets’ manager told the press on Wednesday morning, Carrasco has been experiencing some soreness in his elbow, but he did explain that there is not too much to worry about in this specific case.

“We expect him to be back maybe by the end of next week, facing live batters,” Rojas said, clarifying that this is something that Carrasco has felt over the course of his long career in Major League Baseball.

The Mets hope to have him back soon

The righty will rest for the next few days and the Mets expect him to be back facing live batters next week if all goes well.

Carrasco had been absent from Mets’ camp as he was undergoing additional medical screening related to his 2019 case of leukemia. He threw live batting practice session on Monday and that’s when he felt the reported discomfort.

Injuries and bad performance hindered Carrasco’s first four years of his professional career, but ever since 2014, he has pitched like a top of the rotation pitcher with the Cleveland Indians. For his career, he has a 3.77 ERA and a 3.42 FIP in 1242.1 frames, and the 2021 season will be his first with the Mets after the team acquired him along with star shortstop Francisco Lindor.