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Mets get excellent news on injured reliever A.J. Minter

Originally posted on Empire Sports Media
By Andres Chavez | Last updated Feb 3, 2026 10:18 AM ET

When the New York Mets handed A.J. Minter a two-year, $22 million bag last winter, the vision was clear. They wanted a left-handed flamethrower who could turn the lights out in the seventh and eighth innings before the big boys took over. What they got instead was a cruel 11-inning teaser and a medical report that looked more like a horror script.

That torn left lat muscle didn’t just end Minter’s 2025 season; it gutted a bullpen that spent most of the summer playing with fire. You look at his 1.64 ERA and that nasty 31.8% strikeout rate from his brief cameo and it’s enough to make any Mets fan drink. The guy was exactly what David Stearns paid for until his body betrayed him in late April.

The Road Back From The Operating Table

Nobody should be surprised that Minter exercised his $11 million player option for 2026. After two straight years ending under the knife—first the hip in Atlanta, then the lat in Queens—he wasn’t exactly going to find a better deal on the open market. But for once, the injury gods might be showing some mercy. Anthony DiComo’s latest report suggests Minter is essentially a lock for the roster, provided the final stages of his rehab don’t hit a snag.

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“There’s still a chance Minter can make the club out of camp, but even if he doesn’t, Mets officials expect him to be there after a minimum stay on the injured list,” DiComo wrote.

He might not be firing 96 mph bullets on Opening Day, but the brass expects him back to top form soon. That is massive for a unit that has been under the microscope for years. Even at 32, a healthy Minter is a different breed of reliever. We are talking about a guy who has 105 career holds and a postseason resume that would make most starters blush. He isn’t just a depth piece; he is a force multiplier.

A Bullpen Reimagined Without The Standard Drama

The vibe around this relief corps feels different heading into 2026. It’s not just the Minter news. The additions of Devin Williams and Luke Weaver have finally given this team a legitimate back-end structure that doesn’t rely on prayer. Williams brings that devastating “Airbender” changeup, and Weaver proved last year he can handle the high-leverage heat.

Stick a healthy Minter into that mix and suddenly the seventh inning doesn’t feel like a coin flip. Since 2022, Minter is one of only eleven pitchers to maintain a sub-3.00 ERA while fanning over 30% of the batters he faces. Those aren’t just empty stats. That’s elite, late-inning production that bridges the gap to the closers. He annihilates lefties, holding them to a .219 career average, which is the exact kind of insurance policy this team lacked last year.

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The High Stakes Of The Second Act

Let’s be real about the risk here. Minter’s average fastball velocity dipped to 94.4 mph before he went down last year. That’s a career low, and it’s a red flag you can’t ignore when a guy is coming off back-to-back surgeries. If that zip doesn’t come back, he becomes a lot more human. The Mets are gambling $11 million that the dip was just a byproduct of the injury and not a permanent decline.

If the results match the talent, the Mets have a three-headed monster that can shorten games better than anyone in the NL East. Minter has to prove he can still pull the string on that cutter and trust his body again. The talent is undeniable, the contract is locked in, and the opportunity is wide open. Now, he just needs to stay off the trainer’s table long enough to actually help this team win a pennant.

This article first appeared on Empire Sports Media and was syndicated with permission.

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