Mets' Sean Manaea temporarily shut down from throwing

Fortunately, neither Stearns nor Mendoza are overly concerned. Mendoza said that no procedure will be necessary for Manaea, while Stearns anticipates the 33-year-old to finish his rehab assignment on either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

"This sets us back a couple days, but at least right now, we don't anticipate this necessarily resetting anything," Stearns said to the media.

Manaea himself later said that he feels "a lot better" after receiving the cortisone shot, but is not entirely sure if he will be pitching through pain upon returning. He is also undecided if he will have the loose body removed from his elbow during the offseason.

"I kind of heard different views on it. So I'm hoping for the best," Manaea said.

The Mets have seemingly dodged a bullet here, as they are in desperate need of Manaea's return to the mound. Last season, the southpaw had the best season of his career, setting personal bests with 181.2 innings pitched and a 3.47 ERA, alongside a 12-6 record and 184 strikeouts. This led to New York offering Manaea a new three-year, $75 million contract, but the veteran has yet to throw a pitch for them this year due to a right oblique strain he suffered in spring training.

Recently, the Mets lost starting pitchers Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill to the injured list with a hamstring strain and right elbow sprain, respectively. Meanwhile, starting pitchers Griffin Canning, Clay Holmes, Paul Blackburn, and David Peterson have all struggled, contributing to a brutal stretch of nine losses in 10 games. The Mets did activate starting pitcher Frankie Montas from the injured list on Tuesday, but they can ill-afford another starting pitcher going down.

In his most recent rehab start on June 20, Manaea was brilliant for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. The lefty pitched 5.1 innings of one-run ball while allowing just two hits; he struck out seven, walked none, and mowed down the last 15 batters he faced.

Despite experiencing this setback, the Mets are hopeful that it is a mere bump in the road for Manaea's recovery, and that their 2024 ace can complete his rehab and return on schedule.