Mets' Christian Scott to have Tommy John surgery next week
Mets pitcher Christian Scott. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Mets righthander Christian Scott, who rose through the ranks to become the organization’s top pitching prospect prior to his debut this season, will have Tommy John surgery next week and almost certainly is sidelined until 2026.
That was the outcome Scott and the club hoped to avoid but knew was possible when they shut him down in July with a damaged ulnar collateral ligament — the second summer in a row that he dealt with this elbow problem.
Until recently, they intended for Scott to return before the end of this month, even if just for a brief appearance to prove to himself and team officials that he was healthy. But Scott said he encountered “kind of the same feeling as before” when trying to progress in his throwing program.
“It sucks, obviously,” Scott said. “I love to go out and compete. I love to do what I do. This is the best job in the world. Yeah, it sucks, but at the same time it’s what we sign up for . . . We know to be positive about it and go out and be the best version of myself I possibly can on a day-to-day basis and do everything I can to get my body in position to compete in ’26. I’m excited about the process that we’re going to attack full-on.”
Scott’s and the Mets’ view in July was that the rest-and-rehab route was worth trying because it was a no-lose proposition.
When they did so in 2023, it ended up sorting out fine. This time, either it would work again, he could avoid surgery and maybe make it back for a playoff push, or it wouldn’t work and he’d need surgery.
Whether he had the surgery in late September or late July, he would almost certainly miss all of 2025.
“We gave it a try. He gave it a try,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “If it was this decision, we knew he was going to be [out next year] anyway.”
Scott’s agent, Nate Heisler of Klutch Sports Group, announced that Scott’s operation will be a traditional Tommy John ligament replacement along with the internal brace in what has become known as the hybrid procedure. Dr. Keith Meister will perform the surgery.
Mets relievers Brooks Raley and Drew Smith had the same operation with the same doctor this season. They said that the inclusion of the internal brace doesn’t meaningfully shorten recovery time but is supposed to lengthen the lifespan of the new elbow ligament, an attempt to avoid the pitcher needing the same surgery again down the line. It provides extra stability for the ligament, which is important in avoiding setbacks — and potential immediate second surgeries — during the rehab phase.
That is noteworthy for Scott, who at 25 years old is at the outset of his major-league career and is a big piece of the Mets’ long-term pitching plans. In nine starts in his rookie season, Scott posted an 0-3 record, 4.56 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.
“It’s not good that he’s going to be down for a long time, but you can use this experience this year as development for him,” Mendoza said. “He took the baseball for us, he gave us a chance, he continues to learn. He knows what it takes to be a big-league player, what it takes to be a big-league pitcher — just having the understanding of the grind and everything that comes with it.”
Another injured righthander, Paul Blackburn, has an outside chance at returning this year. He played catch Wednesday for the first time since getting shut down last week because of a spinal fluid leak.
He said he received “a bunch” of injections of platelet-rich plasma, which “are supposed to seal up that leak.”
Now, he’ll begin a throwing program, with eyes on returning — perhaps as a reliever — as soon as next week. That will depend on how his body responds post-injury, as well as whether the Mets want/have room for him.
Either way, this represents progress after what Mendoza called a “scary situation.” Blackburn said he doesn’t know how he sustained the spinal fluid leak but called it “another freak injury.”
“It felt like someone was trying to compress your spine,” he said. “Like if you compress a Pepsi can.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
