Edwin Diaz is back on the mound for the New York Mets and feeling the best he’s felt since tearing his patellar tendon on March 15, 2023.
Diaz reportedly topped out at 98 mph in an intrasquad game on Tuesday. His velocity and command are rounding back into the form that made him the best closer in baseball before going down.
Edwin Diaz gives injury update after pitching a flawless inning in intrasquad play
The Puerto Rican reliever had this to say about where he’s at physically, according to Peter Sblendorio of The New York Daily News:
“I just feel like I need competition. I’m ready,” Diaz said afterward, according to SNY. “I’m throwing my pitches like I want to. I feel 100 percent ready, so I need games, I told them. …Today was really good.”
It’s a great sign that Diaz is not only healthy but eager to increase his workload. Seeing that Tuesday was his first time pitching against hitters, the veteran star is hitting his markers right as Opening Day approaches.
Diaz is hopeful he can reclaim his usual workload in 2024
The 29-year-old has played an excess of 60 games in five of the last seven MLB seasons. The Mets will need every ounce of his services in 2024, especially with a new-look starting rotation that’s already down their lead man Kodai Senga to begin the year.
Diaz is itching to perform, and he’ll have ample opportunities with a Mets team projected to be middle-of-the-pack next season. Mets head coach Carlos Mendoza is up on Diaz’s outlook too, adding more promise to his anticipated return.
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