Mets Should Have This A.J. Minter Concern

Lefty reliever A.J. Minter has been progressing on his rehab assignment, which will come to an end on Thursday, May 7.

Pitching for Low-A St. Lucie, High-A Brooklyn and Triple-A Syracuse, Minter has posted a 1.17 ERA, a 0.78 WHIP and four strikeouts across eight appearances and 7.2 innings.

Although Minter's statistics are good on the surface level, there's one concern the New York Mets should have. The southpaw's velocity has been sitting in the low-90s on his rehab assignment.

This is worrying given Minter is coming off surgery to repair a torn lat muscle. He has also been injury prone over the last few years, undergoing surgery to fix a torn labrum in his hip in 2024.

Prior to tearing his lat, Minter averaged 94.5 mph on his four-seam fastball, according to Baseball Savant. His cutter averaged 89.4 mph, which is his second most thrown pitch.

Minter threw in front of Mets officials during the team's last homestand.

“I am confident with myself and know I can get big league hitters out. I just might have to pitch a little bit more rather than throw 97 down the middle and get swings and misses. I am confident I can help this team," Minter told reporters, via The New York Post.

Minter is sure he can get major league hitters out without throwing in the mid-to-upper 90s. However, this claim remains to be seen.

The Mets have already seen left-hander Sean Manaea struggle this year due to a dip in velocity. Manaea ultimately lost his spot in the starting rotation and has been relegated to a piggyback role in the bullpen.

New York is hoping that Minter's drop in velocity doesn't draw similar results at the big-league level. The Mets could use his arm to help boost their shaky bullpen, but they need the version of Minter who posted a 1.64 ERA in 13 appearances last season before going down with his injury.

The bullpen currently consists of closer Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Huascar Brazoban, Craig Kimbrel, Austin Warren, Tobias Myers and Manaea. Williams (7.20 ERA) and Weaver (5.54 ERA) have struggled immensely. When Minter returns, he will be taking the spot of either Kimbrel or Warren.

Minter will join the Mets next Friday at the latest for their series in Arizona.

The Mets signed Minter to a two-year, $22 million deal in the 2024-2025 offseason.

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