Mets

New York Mets Injury Report

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Jason Vargas (right hand) sustained a fracture of the hamate bone in his right hand. Vargas is scheduled to get surgery Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan and will involve the removal of the bone. He will look to resume throwing five days later but is very doubtful for the beginning of the season. This gives new life to Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman as it gives them another rotation spot to earn.

Yoenis Cespedes (wrist) is set to return to Grapefruit League action Monday. He originally aggravated the injury last week in a game that he homered in. When asked about the injury he said “I am not going to be able to play anymore, ever,” meaning he is likely feeling better. The Mets played Wilmer Flores in left field Saturday just incase the Cespedes injury was not healing as expected after playing in a minor league game.

Jacob deGrom (back) looks ready to go for Opening Day. He tossed five scoreless innings on Friday and struck out eight on one hit. deGrom says he feels healthy and he will be ready to start the second game of the season. He will likely get another start or two before Spring Training ends.

Dominic Smith (quad) is regressing in his recovery from the injury. Smith has not been able to run and does not look like he will be able to play another game before Spring Training ends. All signs point to Smith starting the season in Triple-A and Adrian Gonzalez being the everyday first baseman for the Mets at the moment.

T.J. Rivera (right elbow) is still on the rehab process from Tommy John Surgery and there is no real timetable or new news coming out of the Mets organization.

David Wright (shoulder and lower back) still has about two months to go until he will be resuming baseball activity.

Michael Conforto (shoulder) has progressed very nicely and has already played in two minor league games. He played in the outfield Sunday and is very much on track to make an early May return. Conforto has been late on the ball but that comes with the adjustment of being on the sidelines for over six months. Conforto says his body feels great and if Brandon Nimmo is producing they will have a very difficult outfield decision to make.

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Corey Oswalt

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After Corey Oswalt was drafted, he was assigned to the Kingsport Mets and struggled with an 8.15 ERA in 9 games. Oswalt battled injuries in 2013 with Kingsport and only was able to pitch 13 innings.

Breakout to breakdown:

2014 was his breakout year with the Brooklyn Cyclones where he went 6-2 with a 2.26 ERA in 12 games. He became known for his control and was named a Short Season All-Star by Baseball America.

Oswalt continued his success in 2015 by winning 11 of his 23 starts and putting up a 3.36 ERA. He only walked 21 batters in 128.2 innings and moved up to the St. Lucie Mets for the 2016 season.

Outside of one inning he spent with the Gulf Coast Mets, he saw his ERA rise to 4.06 in 68 innings, this still allowed Oswalt to be named the 27th best prospect in the Mets organization going into 2017.

Oswalt put up his best numbers with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in 2017. He had a 12-5 record, 2.28 ERA and pitched a career high 134.1 innings.

He earned MILB.com organization All-Star honors, Baseball America Double-A All-Star honors, Eastern League All-Star honors and was name the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. The Mets placed Oswalt on the 40-man roster after the conclusion of the 2017 season.

Oswalt was recently sent back to minor league camp but has only allowed two runs in 6.1 innings this spring.

He will likely start the season in Las Vegas with the 51s and could see time with the Mets this season because of injuries or his performance. Worst case scenario is the Mets will bring him up in September for the roster expansion.

Should the New York Mets Be Concerned With a Bad Spring Training?

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Of course the New York Mets win/loss record is ugly this spring. but there is no reason to be concerned for this season.

Why we shouldn’t be concerned:

Between Tim Tebow, minor leaguers and players getting game action for the first time in months, everyone is working at different speeds in getting themselves ready for opening day. Veterans like Adrian Gonzalez and Jason Vargas likely take longer to get their bodies ready than a young guy like Amed Rosario.

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The record does not mean anything for the team’s success in 2018. The last five World Series champions have a combined record of 80-73 in their respective Spring Training and the five worst teams in baseball the last five years have a combined record of 79-73 in their respective Spring Training.

One win is the difference here between a contender and cellar dweller. A team can fully be evaluated until the season begins and a team is playing games with only 25 people on the roster and their starters throwing 100 pitches each start.

Spring Training is the only time in baseball where each player is playing for themselves and coaches, managers and fans should be evaluating each player.

Guys like Brandon Nimmo, Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard have been playing great so far this spring and deserve their praise. Specific battles within the team and players recovering from injuries should also be looked at in depth.

d’Arnaud vs Plawecki, Nimmo vs Juan Lagares, the rest of the starting rotation behind Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom are the battles or games with in the games fans should concentrate their concerns with not wins and losses. If Steven Matz falters again, Adrian Gonzalez struggles at the plate, etc. are the big focal points of the spring.

Yes, wins are sexy but no one cares about a Spring Training record once March 29 comes. For those that still do not want to look past the wins and losses, there are still two weeks for the Mets to bring themselves out of the bottom of the Grapefruit League standings.

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Rafael Montero

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Montero signed with the Mets as an international free agent in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic. He immediately became one of the Mets top prospects because of his ability to strikeout batters with great control.

Montero’s Background:

Montero excelled in the minors, earning a Futures Game selection, Baseball America and MILB.com organizational All-Star selections. He peaked at #3 on the Mets prospect list and #94 on the MLB’s top prospect list.

In 2014, the Mets decided to call-up Montero but was overshadowed that season by Jacob deGrom’s dominance. Montero had a decent 4.06 ERA in 10 games, but lost the control that made him a top prospect.

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In 2015, he only pitched 10 innings with the Mets and struggled out of the bullpen. His season would end early because of a rotator cuff injury in his right arm.

2016 was another forgettable year for Montero, he allowed 17 runs in 19 innings and walked 16 batters. The Mets were running low on time with Montero and in 2017 he was given another chance to meet his potential.

He went 5-11 with a 5.52 ERA, so nothing to write home about, but he showed glimpses of what he could possibly be. Montero was third on the team in innings pitched, starts and second on the team in strikeouts. After two strong outings to start his spring, he has struggled in his latest two outings allowing seven runs in 1.1 innings.

Montero will likely make the team out of Spring Training and will have a longer leash than most relievers struggling to make a team. This is his last chance with the Mets and if he does not produce the Mets will have no other choice but to DFA him. There are younger and more talented pitchers in the Mets minor league system and the Mets are in a “win now” mode.

New York Mets Injury Report

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Injury Report (New York Mets):

Jeurys Familia (dead arm) is day-to-day after giving up five runs in his last outing against the Detroit Tigers. Familia’s injury history does raise a little concern for him but hopefully a couple of days off will right him. He previously had four scoreless outings before his implosion against the Tigers.

Jacob deGrom (back) fired 2.2 innings allowing two runs against the Houston Astros. He was throwing in the mid 90s and stuck out the side in the first inning. His status for opening day is looking brighter if he gets in a few more starts before the spring ends.

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Anthony Swarzak (calf) threw a simulated game on Sunday and hope to return to game action this week. Swarzak aims to be ready for opening day and be an important part of the Mets bullpen.

Dominic Smith (quad) has been sidelined since the first game of the spring and also is questionable for opening day. Manager Mickey Callaway says it would be tough for Smith to be ready for opening day and with Adrian Gonzalez playing over him they will not rush Smith back.

T.J. Rivera (right elbow) was placed on the 60-day DL about has a return date of late May/early June. The Mets will carefully work Rivera back and he hopes to have a chance to play everyday when he returns from his injury.

David Wright (shoulder) has continued to spend time on the 60-day DL and there has not been a lot of news surrounding the Mets captain. He still has a long way to go if he wants to make any impact in the 2018 season.

Michael Conforto (shoulder) has continued to work his way back into baseball activities. He is expected to “ramp up” his workouts this week and hopes to return in early May. Conforto is a key bat for the Mets and they certainly want to make sure he is at 100% before they let him play again.

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Steven Matz

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New York Mets, New York Yankees, Steven Matz

Matz was drafted by the New York Mets in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft from Ward Melville High School in Long Island. Before even making his professional debut he underwent Tommy John Surgery which kept him out for the whole 2011 season. Matz finally made his debut in 2012 with the Kingsport Mets where he had a 1.55 ERA in 29 innings.

How has Matz found success?


Going into the 2013 season he replaced his slider with his curveball and found success with it. With the Savannah Sand Gnats, he made 21 starts and had a very nice 2.62 ERA, which earned him an All-Star selection for the Mets organization and the nine spot on their prospects list.

2014 was another strong year for Matz as he split time between the St. Lucie and Binghamton Mets and made 24 starts with a 2.24 ERA. He was also an organization, Florida State League and Double-A All-Star. He was also named the organization’s pitcher of the year, the top spot on the Mets prospect list and number 15 on the MLB prospect list.

2015 was a big year for Matz, where after putting a 2.05 ERA in the minors he earned a call up to a Mets team that was in a pennant chase. Matz helped lead that team to a World Series birth going 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA.

Other than being sidelined in August with a shoulder injury, Matz had a 2016 season going 9-7 with a 3.40 ERA in 22 games. Matz would finish tied for sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Just like many of the Mets pitchers in 2017 he did not live up to the high expectations he had and was often injured. He only pitched for a little over two months and had a horrible 2-7 record with a 6.08 ERA. Matz reported to Spring Training hoping to start with a clean slate but has struggled so far.

Matz has made two starts but only pitched 1.2 innings and allowed four walks, eight hits and ten runs. In his last start against the Washington Nationals, he could not make it out of the first inning. With every other option the Mets have to start pitching better than him he is likely heading to the bullpen. He still has time to right the ship but if he continues to pitch this bad it would be no surprise to see him start the season in the minors.

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Seth Lugo

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Lugo began his career nicely with the Kingsport Mets in 2011 with a 3.66 ERA in 11 games pitched. Lugo missed the 2012 season with spondylolisthesis, which required spinal fusion surgery. In 2013, Lugo split time between the Brooklyn Cyclones and Savannah Sand Gnats where he had a 3.39 ERA in 66.1 innings. He was not dominating in the same way the other Mets pitching prospects were but he certainly was showing very good consistency.

Lugo’s time with St.Lucia:

With the St. Lucie Mets in 2014, he spent most of the year in the bullpen where he had a 4.11 ERA in 27 games with a nice 8-3 record. In 2015, Lugo moved up the ranks and spent time with the Binghamton Mets and Las Vegas 51s and was solid putting up a 3.84 ERA in 24 starts. Things went downhill in the minors but uphill for Lugo in when he arrived to the New York Mets in 2016.

Lugo’s 51s numbers were not impressive putting up 6.50 ERA in 21 games pitched but the Mets were consumed with injuries which game him a shot with the big league club. For July and half of August he was sent up and down multiple times but was recalled on August 12 for good. After Jon Niese and Gabriel Ynoa were unsuccessful as starters, Lugo earned his first MLB start on August 19 against the San Francisco Giants. He gave the Mets 6.2 innings and allowed three runs.

Lugo would go on to make eight starts, 17 games in total, and had a 2.67 ERA and never allowed more than three runs in a start. He hoped to have the same success in 2017 but was a victim to the injury bug and had a 4.71 ERA in 18 starts. Along with the rest of the Mets pitchers they hope to stay healthy in 2018.

Lugo is a very versatile option with his ability to start and pitch out of the bullpen and he has a great opportunity to make the 2018 rotation. So far this spring he has pitched five innings and only allowed one run. Mets fans have seen how good of a pitcher he can be and when healthy Mets fans can expect Lugo to be a reliable pitcher for the Mets this season.

Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Matt Harvey

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After declining to sign with the Los Angeles Angels after the 2007 MLB Draft, the Mets took him with the seventh pick in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft. Harvey rose through the ranks of the Mets minor league system, earning a call up to the big leagues after a year and a half in the minors.

Harvey quickly excelled at the big league level finishing the 2012 season with a 2.73 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. Harvey earned the “Dark Knight” nickname and was already drawing comparisons to Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden heading into the 2013 season. Harvey delivered in a big way, he went 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA, started the All-Star Game at Citi Field, finished fourth in Cy Young voting and went pitch for pitch with Clayton Kershaw all season. Of course, his season was cut short after finding out he needed to get the dreaded Tommy John Surgery.

Harvey missed the entire 2014 season but after the last game that year he told Terry Collins “We’re going to do it next year,” and Harvey almost delivered on that promise. Harvey returned to form in 2015 by going 13-8 with a 2.71 ERA and throwing 189.1 innings one year removed from the surgery. Harvey was also dominant in leading the team to the World Series but the wear and tear in Harvey’s arm caught up to him in 2016.

Harvey was one of many injuries plagued Mets in 2016 and it resulted in a 4-10 record with a 4.86 ERA and did not pitch like the “Dark Knight” Mets fans remembered. Harvey had his season cut short again with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in his right shoulder. The team hoped a full season of rest would return him to form in 2017.

2017 was the worst year of his career with a 6.70 ERA and a staggering 21 home runs allowed in less than 100 innings. Harvey had been suspended by the team for no-showing a game at Citi Field and was suspected of partying the night before. He then missed about two and a half months after recovering from a stress fracture in his right shoulder. Upon his return in September he was absolutely awful with an 11.25 ERA in the 22.1 innings he pitched. He looked defeated, had no confidence in himself and was just wanted his hellacious year to end.

Harvey agreed to a one year, $5.63 million contract in the offseason to avoid arbitration with the Mets. He has felt stronger and looks a lot more confident in the two starts he has made this spring. He has pitched five innings, only allowing one run and showing the same sharpness his pitches had when he was on top of his game. With his performance so far this spring he figures to be in the rotation this season but with a little over three weeks left in Spring Training there is time for plenty of things to change.

Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Robert Gsellman

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The 24-year old Robert Gsellman looks to regain his 2016 form and a spot in the New York Mets rotation after a disappointing 2017 campaign.

Gsellman was drafted by the Mets in the 13th round of the 2011 MLB Draft from Westchester HS in Los Angeles, CA. In 2011, Gsellman got his feet wet pitching 13 innings for the Gulf Coast Mets and gave up six runs in those 13 innings. He remained there in the 2012 season where he split time in the bullpen and the rotation where he had a 3.92 ERA and quickly showed his good control.

2013 had Gsellman spend time at all three levels of Single-A as a starter where he had a sparkling 2.58 ERA and earned an All-Star selection with the Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2014, he spent the full season with the Savannah Sand Gnats and continued to impress with a 10-6 record and a 2.55 ERA in 116 innings. This earned him the #16 spot on the Mets top prospects list.

2015 was more of the same for Gsellman as he was showing how consistent he could be for the Mets. He split time with the St. Lucie and Binghamton Mets where he went 10-7 and had a 2.89 ERA, which earned him All-Star selections from MILB.com and the Florida State League. Gsellman established himself as the #9 Mets prospect as well.

2016 was a big year for Gsellman but he was not too hot out of the gate. He went 4-9 with a 3.99 ERA between stints with Binghamton and the Las Vegas 51s, but when the injury filled Mets pitching staff needed an arm Gsellman got the call-up in late August. Gsellman made his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals after Jon Niese exited with an injury after facing only four batters and allowing three runs in the bottom of the first. Gsellman stepped up to throw 3.2 shutout innings to allow the Mets to win a game that sparked their Wild Card chase in 2016.

Gsellman finished 2016 strong, going 4-2 with a 2.42 ERA and was one of the big reasons the Mets clinched the second Wild Card spot. He came into 2017 with high expectations as the Mets fifth starter and was unable to pitch anywhere near what he was expected. He went 8-7 with a 5.19 ERA and missed a significant amount of time after pulling his hamstring trying to beat out a hit. Gsellman also said “I don’t care” when GM Sandy Alderson said he needed to “pitch better” which led to Aaron Judge hitting a tape measure shot off of him the same night.

Gsellman has allowed three runs in five innings this spring and had one good start and a below average start the last time out against the Houston Astros. Gsellman will likely head up north with the Mets at the end of March and definitely has a chance to be in the Mets rotation. With Syndergaard, Vargas and deGrom locks, if healthy, the other cast of starters the Mets have will either be relievers get one of those last three spots. But, Gsellman is likely heading towards a bullpen role with the Mets in 2018.

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Drew Gagnon

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The 27-year old, career minor leaguer looks to make an impact on the 2018 New York Mets roster. Gagnon was signed as a free agent by the Mets in December 2017 after the Los Angeles Angels released him a month earlier.

Need To Know: Gagnon

Originally a starter, Gagnon had an ERA over eight in 2011 which was his first professional season at rookie ball in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system.

In 2012, he showed promise at A/A+ with a 2.83 ERA in 149.2 innings which earned him the #23 spot on the Brewers prospect list and an all-star selection.

Gagnon regressed in 2013 with a 7-13 record with a 5.43 ERA between A+ and AA ball, but still pitched 129.1 innings. Gagnon continued his inconsistent seasons with a 3.96 ERA in 154.2 innings at the AA level leading to another all-star selection. 2015 was his worst season in the minors where he posted an ERA of 6.67 and could not find a way to keep the opposing team off base whether he was in AA or AAA.

Gagnon was converted to a reliever going into the 2016 season and at age 26 his time with the Brewers was running out. In a make or break year for him he posted a 4.48 ERA between AA and AAA along with seeing his strikeout numbers increase. After the season the Brewers shipped him along with catcher Martin Maldonado to the Angels for catcher Jett Bandy.

His lone season in AAA was an unsuccessful one in which he had a 6.25 ERA, 1.5 WHIP and the organization had him start a few games as well. This led to his release in November and eventual signing by the Mets.

Going into his age-28 season, there is no more time to wait on Gagnon to develop. He had a scoreless inning to start his Spring Training but will need to be almost untouchable to make the opening day roster. The Mets have a pitcher in Anthony Swarzak who took longer than expected to be a good reliever and the team is hoping to strike gold with Gagnon.