PHILADELPHIA – Dedniel Nunez, a key player in the Mets’ bullpen during their summer surge that gave the season new momentum, will not pitch again this season, manager Carlos Mendoza announced Friday.
The forearm strain, which the Mets initially thought was no big deal—and not even worth an MRI—ultimately turned out to be a flexor tendon injury that required an injection of platelet-rich plasma.
Longer term, the Mets hope Nunez can avoid surgery that, if necessary, would impact his 2025 season.
In the short term, this is a significant loss for the bullpen and the team that had long been expecting him back for the final stretch of the playoffs.
“We thought so. But he wasn’t making the progress we expected,” Mendoza said. “We waited until the inflammation went down.” . . He was making progress, but not as much as we would have liked. So we decided to do an MRI. That showed it.
“It’s disappointing. He’s been great for us. We were hoping to get him back, but that’s not the case. He’s disappointed. It’s a big blow. But the guys will keep pushing.”
Nunez, a 28-year-old right-hander, emerged from relative anonymity in the minor leagues to become a multi-inning major league answer at a time when the Mets had many questions about relievers. He had a 2.31 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, striking out 48 batters in 35 innings in 25 appearances.
But his season ends with only one appearance in the last two months. He missed four weeks from July to August due to a pronator strain (forearm). After his return, he played a solitary game and threw 1 2⁄3 innings on August 24 against the Padres, then he struggled with renewed pain in that area.
When Nunez was placed back on the injured list, the Mets hoped he would only miss the minimum 15 days, but he now has a problem with the flexor muscle in his forearm and hand.
“Everything is on the table” to make sure Nunez is healthy for next season, Mendoza said. But they won’t know for several weeks whether the PRP shot – which promotes soft tissue healing – works and spares him from having to undergo surgery.
The relatively good news: Nunez’s elbow ligaments “seem to be fine,” Mendoza said, so there is no concern that he will need Tommy John surgery.
Senga’s next step
Kodai Senga will face batters on Monday or Tuesday, Mendoza said, his first appearance since spraining his left calf in late July.
The Mets continue to leave open the possibility that Senga could return in some capacity for the final days of the regular season. Given the practical limitations of the calendar, that would inevitably be in a less than full-staff capacity, limited to perhaps two or three innings in his first appearance.
“Look, when he’s healthy — that was electric when we saw him pitch in that game against (Atlanta in his only appearance of the season),” Mendoza said. “It’s hard for me to sit here and say, man, when he’s healthy again, where do we see him? I’ll have to wait and see before we can have that kind of conversation. I’m just happy with his physical condition and hope he’s a factor for us down the stretch.”
Christian Scott (right UCL sprain) appears to be a bit behind Senga, but continues to work his bullpen sessions. The Mets hope to have him fit by the end of the month.
Latest news on Blackburn
Paul Blackburn is undergoing a “series of tests” to find out what is wrong with his back, Mendoza said.
The chances of Blackburn being used as a pitcher again this year seem to be getting smaller and smaller.
“The only thing I can tell you is it’s going to be week-to-week,” Mendoza said. “I don’t think we’ll see him throw for another seven to 10 days, but he’s going to go through some more testing in New York.”
Additional bases
Starling Marte is “doing well,” Mendoza said, but he was missing from Friday’s lineup because the Mets want to limit his workload and have him face a number of left-handed hitters in the near future. . . Francisco Lindor on his manager and teammates making him NL MVP: “I appreciate what they say. But I’m focused on playing winning baseball.” . . . Infielder Pablo Reyes was released from waivers and sent directly to Triple-A Syracuse. Since he never left the organization, he remains eligible for the Mets’ theoretical postseason roster. Eddy Alvarez is ineligible because he was signed after September 1.
Tim Healey is the Mets reporter for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of Hometown Hardball, a book about minor league baseball in the Northeast.
