KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A high-end bullpen piece for the Mets won’t be returning this season or perhaps next.
Dedniel Núñez is set to bear Tommy John surgical procedure for the second time in his profession, according to supervisor Carlos Mendoza, after he was positioned on the injured record earlier this month with an elbow sprain.
The right-hander appeared in 10 video games for the Mets this season and pitched to a 4.66 ERA, following a spring in which the team slow-walked his buildup in hopes of preserving his elbow.
Last season, Núñez pitched to a 2.31 ERA in 25 appearances for the team as a key midseason addition before he was shut down by elbow discomfort.
“He gave it a try,” Mendoza said before the Mets confronted the Royals on Saturday. “This is something that he dealt with last year and missed the rest of the season. He rehabbed the whole year, worked extremely hard, put himself in a position where he came in healthy in spring training … for him to go down is unfortunate.”
Dedniel Núñez will miss the relaxation of the season after needing Tommy John surgical procedure. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Núñez, 29, is the third Mets reliever whose season will finish with surgical procedure.
Earlier this season A.J. Minter and Danny Young were lost to surgical procedures. Minter underwent surgical procedure for a torn lat and Young had Tommy John surgical procedure.
The Mets bullpen could obtain a increase after the All-Star break, with lefty Brooks Raley nearing completion of his rehab task. Raley underwent Tommy John surgical procedure last 12 months and in April re-signed with the Mets.
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