Edwin Diaz thinks he can be back with Mets this season

Edwin Diaz emerged from the Mets’ clubhouse doors Wednesday at Citi Field. There were no trumpets heralding his arrival. He was on his crutches before leaning up against a wall without them.

But could Diaz and the fans be hearing his stirring entry music again if the team makes the postseason?

The 29-year-old closer wasn’t ruling out a comeback this year in his first comments to the media since tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a World Baseball Classic win on the field in Miami March 15 and then undergoing surgery the next day. 

Diaz was given an eight-month recovery window. Some people come through that window sooner.

Asked if he’s thinking there’s a chance he could be back by October, Diaz said, “If everything goes well, I think I can be back sooner than eight months.” 

Things, he said, are going well so far in his rehab as he tries to rebuild strength in the knee, work on his body and keep his arm in shape through exercises.

“I’m feeling great,” Diaz said. “We are working hard to see if I can come back as soon as possible. But everything is going in the right direction. The doctors say I’m doing great. So I’m really happy.

“They want me to get better [with] my knee first and then we’ll see how I’m responding with my strength and all these things I have to do [before] I start throwing.

“If the tests are coming back good, I might throw this year.”

He thinks that’s a realistic possibility.

“As of right now, my knee is doing great,” Diaz said. “ . . . So we are in a good direction for that.”

His injury generated controversy because it happened during the WBC and away from the Mets during spring training. 

Regrets for Diaz? Not even a few. 

You can sign him up for Team Puerto Rico again.

“I think people can get hurt in their home or any place,” Diaz said. “It happened to me in the WBC. That’s part of the game. I wasn’t pitching. I was celebrating with my teammates. So if I have a chance to play again for my country, yeah, I will do it.”

The Mets re-signed Diaz to a five-year, $102 million deal in November after his dominant closing work last season. The righthander went 3-1 with a 1.31 ERA, 32 saves and 118 strikeouts in 62 innings. 

His entrances at Citi Field became an anticipated spectacle with the “Narco” theme song blaring. 

Then came this freak injury after a victory over the Dominican Republic.

“No one hit me,” Diaz said. “I just fell down.”

It was a heavy blow to not just him but this Mets team with championship dreams and everyone who follows this team.

“The day he got hurt, I don’t think anybody slept that night,” said David Robertson, who has teamed with Adam Ottavino to go 3-for-3 in save opportunities so far.

The crowd gave Diaz a loud ovation at the Mets’ home opener, and that meant a lot to him. But it was difficult on his psyche after the injury initially occurred.

“At first, I was really sad because I was going for the first time in my career to the injury list and I was really healthy,” Diaz said. “I’ve been healthy all my career. When I saw that happen and I saw my teammates there with me, I was really sad. 

“But then I realized I was going through a process. So I’m positive.”