Mets’ Carlos Mendoza confirms 2 devastating injury timetables

The New York Mets are leading the National League East division with a 23-13 record through Monday, but they got some bad news to take away from the solid season they are having so far in the 2025 MLB campaign. On Monday, New York manager Carlos Mendoza provided disheartening injury updates on designated hitter Jesse Winker and reliever AJ Minter.

Mendoza revealed that Winker will miss six to eight weeks because of a Grade 2 oblique strain, per ESPN. The Mets skipper also shared that Minter will not see action for the remainder of the 2025 season because of an upcoming surgery to repair a torn lat muscle that he suffered in April.

Winker has also been placed on the 10-day injured list starting on May 5 with an expected return late in June, according to MLB.com. The 31-year-old Winker, who is in his second season with the Mets, suffered the injury in the first leg of last Sunday’s doubleheader at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. So far this year, Winker is batting .239/.321/.418 with a home run, 10 RBIs and nine walks to go along with a 111 OPS+.

There doesn’t seem to be a concrete plan yet for how the Mets will fill the void at the designated hitter position that’s temporarily left by Winker. However, the expectation is that Starling Marte, who was already sharing platoon DH duties with Winker, could see more time in that role, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. Meanwhile, as ESPN noted, infielder Brett Baty will occupy Winker’s roster spot after being called up from the minors.

As for Minter, his first season with the Mets has been cut short, denying New York a chance to use his talents for its bullpen for the rest of the year. Minter, who inked a two-year contract worth $22 million with the Mets last January, was a reliable reliever for New York before his injury. He made 13 appearances on the mound in 2025, posting a 1.64 ERA and 1.89 FIP while earning a 244 ERA+ through 11.0 innings.

The 31-year-old Minter, who won a World Series with the Atlanta Braves in 2021, has an $11 million player option for the 2026 MLB season that he’ll most likely pick up, given his unfortunate injury.