Mets' Jose Quintana receives good news as latest CT scan shows rib is progressing
New York Mets pitcher Jose Quintana during a spring training workout, Saturday Feb. 18, 2023 in Port St. Lucie, FL. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Jose Quintana received the good news he was hoping for Friday, getting the “greenlight,” as he put it, to ramp up his throwing program after the latest CT scan on his surgically repaired rib showed the anticipated progress.
Up next: a light bullpen session — his first time getting on a mound since March — on Saturday, a development about which he was enthused. He is on track to meet, and potentially beat, the Mets’ initial expectation that he wouldn’t be back until July at the earliest.
“The bone is healing, everything is working good,” Quintana said. “Everything is 100% good.”
Manager Buck Showalter said Quintana is “a little ahead of” where pitchers normally are at the start of spring training, which typically lasts a month and a half.
“My second spring training for one season,” Quintana said.
Quintana had surgery bone-graft surgery in mid-March after doctors discovered a benign lesion on his fractured rib.
With the Mets’ rotation mostly whole — Tylor Megill is the last fill-in — they will try not to rush the veteran lefthander back.
“I don’t want to hurry up,” Quintana said. “I want to be prepared and ready when I come back.”
Showalter echoed: “Sometimes a need gets in the way of doing what’s right. We’re going to try to do what’s right.”
Locastro injured again
On the day the Mets needed to make a keep-or-cut decision on outfielder Tim Locastro (back spasms) following the expiration of his rehab assignment, he wound up with another injury: a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb.
Showalter said Locastro, who was transferred to the 60-day injured list, might need surgery.
“It’s awful,” Showalter said. “I wish it hadn’t happened.”
Locastro suffered the injury while rehabbing with Triple-A Syracuse, according to Showalter, initially hurting his thumb on a head-first dive Wednesday and worsening it on a swing Thursday.
Extra bases
The Mets sent lefthander Josh Walker back to Syracuse to make roster room for Carlos Carrasco, who returned from the IL to face Cleveland . . . Showalter mentioned he had a “stretch guy” who, in addition to Eduardo Escobar and Jeff McNeil, could back up Francisco Lindor at shortstop: “Mark Canha can do about anything.”
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.
