Max Kranick’s Injury Update
In Philadelphia, it seems that Max Kranick won’t be pitching for the Mets at the start of the season, but luckily, it appears he’s managed to avoid a serious, season-ending injury.
As reported by Carlos Mendoza, an MRI of Kranick’s elbow showed a flexor strain. This news is somewhat comforting given the circumstances.
Kranick will be sidelined from throwing for about 3-4 weeks before he gets re-evaluated to see how he’s progressing.
Previously, he had surgery related to Tommy John and was on the injured list this week due to elbow discomfort, which isn’t something entirely new for him. This season, he’s had a respectable performance with a 3.65 ERA across 24 appearances.
“While he’ll be out for a bit, it’s, well, relatively good news,” Mendoza said before the Mets’ successful game against the Phillies, which ended in an 11-4 victory, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
Earlier this week, Tyler Megill was also placed on the injured list because of elbow inflammation.
Mendoza also received encouraging feedback about Sean Manaea’s rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse. He managed to go over 5 ⅓ innings and threw more than 62 pitches.
“He threw a lot of strikes and was quite effective. It was impressive pitch efficiency,” Mendoza noted, which sounds promising.
It looks like Manaea could be back in the Mets’ rotation soon; his final rehabilitation could start as early as Wednesday.
He had been on the injured list since spring training due to some tension in his arm. Mendoza mentioned, “Last season, he was like an ace for us. We signed him again, but it’s unfortunate he got sidelined early on. Getting him back will be significant for our team, especially since we’re in a situation where we need all hands on deck.”
Ronnie Mauricio made his first start at second base after mostly playing third. He was called up from Syracuse just a couple of hours before the game.
Mendoza had initially preferred to keep Mauricio at third since he felt it suited him best, but now they’re assessing his capabilities at second base. “On days he doesn’t play, he practices at second. We know how solid Brett is at third. Mauricio is fine there, but it felt right to make the switch today,” he added.
To bolster the bullpen, Chris Devenski and Tyler Zuber were recalled from Syracuse, and Blade Tidwell along with Justin Garza were selected. Zuber, who came over via trade last summer, hasn’t yet made an appearance in the majors with the Mets.
