Sad news for the Mets today as they released the information that pitcher Chris Young was diagnosed with a tear of the anterior capsule in his shoulder, essentially the same injury that has kept Johan Santana sidelined since last September. Young is left with two options, surgery or rehab. Rehab may put him back in the rotation toward the end of the season, but at at that point will it really matter?
Last season Young suffered the same injury in April and chose rehab. He returned to the Padres rotation in September and pitched three games while they were trying to clinch a playoff spot. Most likely this September the Mets will not be in the same position. Also, since this is Young’s second time suffering this injury surgery may be the smarter choice.
The news bothers me as I really supported the Young signing and really thought he was going to bounce back nicely this season. Through four starts he had this season Young looked good, like a pitcher who was on the comeback trail going (1-0 with a 1.88 ERA). Hopefully he gets the surgery and can successfully return to the majors at some point. I’m sure it won’t be with the Mets, but it would just be nice to see him on the mound and see if he can return to the pitcher he looked like in 2007.
The other news the Mets released this evening was that Jenrry Mejia will undergo Tommy John surgery after receiving a second opinion. Mejia tore the medial collateral ligament in his right elbow while pitching for Triple-A Buffalo. He likely will be sidelined 9-12 months.
This is depressing because Mejia was going to be the bright spot of the Mets this season. Sometime in August at the latest, Mejia was going to join the Mets starting rotation. I am not Nostradamus so I can’t tell you how he was going to perform but if all else is failing by the Mets later this summer, Mejia was going to be the hope Mets fans were looking for going into next season. I really think this kid is going to be the real deal one day. On a bright note though most young pitchers bounce back nicely from this surgery and come back stronger then before.
I wish not just for the Mets but for the pitchers involved that they both have a successful recovery from their surgeries. The Mejia injury involves the future of the Mets as where the Young injury involved the future of Chris Young. Injuries, especially for a pitcher can change any potential, as we saw with Young, CY Young candidate in 2007, reclamation project in 2011. For the Mets faithful we can only hope that Mejia is getting the kinks out now and it’s all uphill from here.
The Mets are still saying that Johan Santana will return this season, and for the love of ticket sales they sure hope he does!
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