Mets' Joely Rodriguez suffers shoulder injury, Taijuan Walker added to roster
New York Mets relief pitcher Joely Rodriguez (30) throws against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Citi Field, Wednesday, Oct 5, 2022. Credit: Noah K. Murray
A shoulder injury forced Joely Rodriguez off the Mets’ NL Wild Card Series roster on Saturday, leaving the team with one lefthander: minimally experienced reliever David Peterson.
The Mets chose righthander Taijuan Walker to take that roster spot. Typically a starter, Walker in this case would be available as an emergency long relief option or if something went wrong with one of the starting pitchers. Manager Buck Showalter said previously that Walker was among the toughest exclusions in the Mets’ roster decision-making.
Rodriguez’s left shoulder began to bother him Friday, according to a source familiar with his condition. He did not pitch that day. In the eighth inning of a blowout loss in Game 1, the Mets opted for Peterson, who retired all three batters he faced (and entered Saturday having never pitched on consecutive days).
Rodriguez would be ineligible for the NLDS if the Mets get there but would be allowed to come back for the NLCS if they get there.
That was bad for the Mets, who have struggled all year to find reliable lefthanded relief options. Rodriguez had a 4.47 ERA (but a 2.25 ERA in the final month). Having a long reliever/backup starter, however, was good for the Mets. They initially loaded up on true relievers, leaving off Walker, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Williams. But upon being added to the roster, Walker represented an insurance policy for the pitching staff overall.
Maddening Max
Max Scherzer’s consecutive clunkers, including against the Padres on Friday, raised an obvious question: Is he healthy?
Asked a series of questions about it Saturday, Showalter mostly talked around the subject, acknowledging that “we’re all some form of” physically compromised.
“I tell you, what he always puts first is the team. He does. He knows when somebody else has better bullets than him,” Showalter said. “It is what it is. We’re looking at everything. Come on. We got people who, if you raise your finger, they tell you what you did the last time with it.”
Scherzer on Thursday, before he pitched, said “I’m not limited by the oblique at all.” He went on the injured list twice this year with left side problems.
But on Friday, after he pitched, asked again if anything physical affected him, he seemed to soften his stance by saying, “I don’t think so.” Showalter said then he was “not necessarily” concerned about it.
Extra bases
Starling Marte, playing through pain in his maybe-still-fractured right middle finger, moved back to his usual No. 2 spot in the lineup . . . . Endy Chavez, best known for his incredible home run-robbing catch in what became a gut-wrenching, season-ending loss for the 2006 Mets, threw out the first pitch on Saturday night.
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.
