Mets' David Stearns says team built to withstand early injuries to pitching staff
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns looks on during a spring training workout in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Feb. 12. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — When the Mets lost Frankie Montas and then Sean Manaea to injuries before the club even suited up for an exhibition game, David Stearns did not like it, naturally. But he did expect it — a version of it.
Inevitable attrition is why they stockpiled starting pitchers in recent months. And that stockpile is why Stearns still feels fine about the rotation situation.
The Mets will survive, he said.
“I would prefer it didn't happen before our first spring training game, but I do think we're built to withstand this,” said Stearns, the president of baseball operations. “The rest of our guys are throwing the ball very well. Both Sean and Frankie seem to be progressing, at least for now, along the timeframes we anticipated at the front end, which is a good thing. And so now let's keep the rest of our guys healthy. Let's get into the season.”
Manaea (strained right oblique) remains penciled in for a return in mid-to-late April. He is due for a follow-up MRI early next week, and if that shows progress, he will begin a throwing program — restarting spring training, basically.
Montas (strained right lat) won’t be back until mid-May at the earliest.
Without them, the Mets are looking at a starting five headed by Kodai Senga, David Peterson and converting reliever Clay Holmes. Two of Griffin Canning, Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill will round out the group.
The Holmes experiment has gone well so far.
“Clay came into this with a plan and has followed the plan to a 'T',” Stearns said. “He wanted to make this transition, and he believed he could. I think he’s demonstrating so far that he can.”
Note on Sproat
Increasingly on the major-league radar, positioned to replace any of the above when performance or health calls for it: righthander Brandon Sproat, the organization’s top-ranked prospect, who impressed in his time in major-league camp.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Sproat “looked like he belonged in the big leagues” based on how he pitched and conducted himself. Stearns similarly raved, noting that it was “tough not to be impressed.”
“He's still growing and adding to his arsenal, which is exciting for a guy who's as talented as he is and has flown through the minor leagues at the rate that he has,” Stearns said. “We also believe he still has development left, and we want to see him really have significant success at the Triple-A level. I think he wants to prove he can do that as well. And once we see that, then we can start talking about when is the right time at the major-league level.”
What is significant success?
“I don’t know,” Stearns said. “We kind of know it when we see it. We want him to get guys out, and I think he will.”
In 2024, his first pro season, Sproat reached Triple-A but had a 7.53 ERA in seven starts. He allowed two runs in two-plus innings in a 5-1 loss to the Astros on Thursday.
Injury updates
Brandon Nimmo said he got an MRI on his sore right knee Tuesday and it showed just inflammation, no structural damage. He referred to waiting for “the last 10%” of the soreness to go away before getting back into the lineup in the coming days. Mendoza said Nimmo would be playing if it were the regular season.
Starling Marte’s right knee problem is a bone bruise, according to Stearns, just like last year.
“He told me early in camp: ‘Basically, I've played through pain my entire career. I'm used to it. I'll keep doing it,’” Stearns said. “He’s not particularly concerned about this. He performed at a really high level in September and October for us despite battling a much more severe version of this.”
Reliever Dedniel Nunez (right flexor strain last year) is supposed to start facing batters “over the next week or so,” per Stearns. The Mets plan for him to be available out of the bullpen to start the season but cannot be sure.
“When you've had recurring elbow issues like he has, it's always going to be in the back of our minds that it's always a possibility,” Stearns said. “You try to train the best you can. We're going to monitor usage the best we can. At the end of the day, if you're in a Major League bullpen, you’ve got to be available. That's a little bit of a balance we'll try to strike.”
Extra bases
Carlos Mendoza on Jose Iglesias signing with the Padres: “Good for him. Obviously, he was a huge player for us last year, not only on the field, but off the field. I’m glad he finally found a home" . . . The Mets outrighted Sean Reid-Foley to Triple-A Syracuse, creating an opening on the 40-man roster. . . Edwin Diaz recorded one out (19 pitches) against the Astros in his first Grapefruit League appearance. He was a bit wild, including a walk and one pitch that went to the backstop, and allowed a couple of hard hits. Francisco Lindor dropped a popup. “I was a little bit excited today,” Diaz said. “I was rushing myself to home plate.”
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.
