Mets reliever A.J. Minter considering drastic, season-ending measure

The New York Mets may soon be without one of their top relievers for the rest of the season.

Lefty A.J. Minter has sought multiple opinions on his injured left lat muscle. He's got two options at his disposal, and one of those options is season-ending surgery to completely fix the muscle, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.

According to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, the veteran from Tyler, Texas, could also choose rest and rehab in the hope that the lat heals. That would give him a chance to return later this season, but he'd have to miss a significant period of time.

Either way, it's not looking good.

"All we know right now is we're dealing with a pretty significant injury here," Mendoza said.

He underwent an MRI on Sunday and was placed on the 15-day injured list. Now, whichever way he chooses to go about fixing his strained lat, he's certain to be out for quite some time for the Mets.

"It's a big blow," Mendoza said. "I'm not going to lie. Not only because of his ability to throw in high leverage, but his ability to get lefties and righties [out]. It's a big blow for sure, but guys will step up. Guys will continue to get opportunities and we got to keep going. Sucks for him. Especially going down this early."

Minter has a 1.64 ERA and seven holds. He signed a two-year, $22M contract with New York this past offseason.