Mets lefthander Jose Quintana leaves outing with tightness in left side; David Peterson day-to-day
Mets pitcher Jose Quintana during a spring training game against the Houston Astros, Tuesday Feb. 28, 2023 at Clover Field in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
JUPITER, Fla. — The Mets’ rotation depth already is being tested.
Jose Quintana left his outing Sunday against the Cardinals after just one inning because of tightness in his left side, general manager Billy Eppler said, and is scheduled to get tests on Monday. He announced on Instagram that he won’t play for Colombia in the WBC and is “trying to be ready by the start” of the season.
David Peterson was diagnosed with a mere bruise on his left foot and is considered day-to-day, the Mets announced. He had been “pretty sore,” according to Buck Showalter, after being struck by a comebacker on Saturday.
With Peterson seemingly escaping with just a scare, the Mets will await details on Quintana.
“It’s a little too early to know the severity of it,” Showalter said. “We’ll see. I’m glad he told us. Precautionary to get him out of there, not take any chances.”
Quintana retired the top of the St. Louis order — Brendan Donovan, Tyler O’Neill and Paul Goldschmidt — on 13 pitches after taking over for Kodai Senga in the third inning. It was a significant improvement from his start against Houston on Tuesday, when he threw 30 pitches, allowed five runs and recorded just two outs.
But upon returning to the dugout, Quintana reported the discomfort. The Mets declined to make him available for an interview.
Quintana, who signed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Mets in December, had not dealt with this injury previously, according to Showalter.
“We wouldn’t have pitched him if he had had any issues with it before,” he said.
So long for now
The Mets’ World Baseball Classic contingent departed Sunday to join their temporary teams: Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor, Eduardo Escobar, Omar Narvaez, Edwin Diaz, Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley and Elieser Hernandez.
“I said bye to Edwin today,” Showalter said. “I told him I’ll see him in three days. He goes, ugh. I’m kidding all of them: Oh, I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
Escobar and Hernandez will be back at Clover Park on Thursday when the Mets host Venezuela for an afternoon exhibition. The Mets also will play Nicaragua on Wednesday night.
Alonso is enthused about playing for a national team after being passed over in high school and college.
“I honestly don’t know what to expect,” he said. “I’m just going in with an open mind. I’m just looking to have a ton of fun and win some ballgames.”
Halftime
The Mets have hit the halfway point of camp: three weeks down and three to go. They’ll get a reward of sorts and spend nearly 48 hours away from the ballpark, a luxury at this time of year. The Mets are off Monday and will play a night game in West Palm Beach against the Astros on Tuesday.
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.
