Mets reliever Dedniel Nunez shut down for rest of season
Mets relief pitcher Dedniel Nunez follows through against the Washington Nationals during an MLB baseball game at Citi Field on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
PHILADELPHIA — Dedniel Nunez, a key member of the Mets’ bullpen during their season-reviving summer surge, will not pitch again this season, manager Carlos Mendoza revealed Friday.
The forearm tightness that the Mets initially thought was no big deal — not even worth an MRI — wound up being a flexor tendon injury that required a platelet-rich plasma injection.
In the longer term, the Mets hope Nunez will avoid surgery, which if necessary would impact his 2025 season.
In the shorter term, this is a significant loss for a bullpen and team that expected him back by now for the playoff push.
“That’s what we thought. But he didn’t progress the way we expected,” Mendoza said. “We waited for the inflammation to go down . . . He was making progress, but not the way we would like to. That’s when we decided to go for an MRI. That’s what it showed.
“It’s disappointing. He’s been huge for us. We had hopes that we were going to get him back, and that’s not the case. He’s disappointed. A big blow. But guys will continue to step up.”
Nunez, a 28-year-old righthander, emerged from relative anonymity in the minor leagues to become a major-league multi-inning answer at a time when the Mets had lots of questions about relievers. He had a 2.31 ERA and 0.91 WHIP and struck out 48 batters in 35 innings across 25 appearances.
But his season ends with only one appearance in the final two months. He missed four weeks from July into August with a pronator (forearm) strain. Upon returning, he got into a lone game, throwing 1 2⁄3 innings on Aug. 24 against the Padres, then dealt with a recurrence of soreness in the area.
When Nunez headed back to the injured list, the Mets hoped he’d miss only the minimum 15 days. Now he has a problem with the flexor, which is in the forearm and hand.
“Everything is on the table” to make sure Nunez is healthy for next season, Mendoza said. But they won’t know for at least a few weeks whether the PRP shot — which promotes healing of soft tissue — will work and allow him to avoid an operation.
The relative good news: Nunez’s elbow ligaments “seem to be fine,” according to Mendoza, so they aren’t worried about him needing Tommy John surgery.
Senga’s next step
Kodai Senga will face batters Monday or Tuesday, Mendoza said. That will be his first time doing so since he strained his left calf in late July.
The Mets continue to leave open the possibility that Senga will return in some capacity for the final days of the regular season. Given the practical limits of the calendar, that necessarily would be in a less-than-full-strength capacity, with a limit of perhaps two or three innings in his first appearance.
“Look, when he’s healthy — that was electric when we saw him pitch that game against [Atlanta in his only appearance of the season],” Mendoza said. “It’s hard for me to sit here and say, man, if he’s healthy again, where do we see him? I gotta wait and see before we can have this type of conversation. I just like where he’s at physically and hopefully he’s a factor for us down the stretch.”
Christian Scott (right UCL sprain) seems to be a bit behind Senga but is continuing with his bullpen sessions. The Mets hope he makes it back by the end of the month.
Blackburn update
Paul Blackburn is going through “a battery of tests” to determine what is wrong with his back, Mendoza said.
The chances of Blackburn pitching again this year appear to keep decreasing.
“The one thing I can tell you is this is going to be week to week,” Mendoza said. “I don’t think we’ll see him pitch in the next seven to 10 days, but he’s still going through some tests back in New York.”
Extra bases
Starling Marte is “fine,” Mendoza said, but was absent from the lineup Friday because the Mets want to manage his workload and plan to play him against a bunch of lefthanders coming up . . . Francisco Lindor on his manager and teammates campaigning for him for NL MVP: “I appreciate what they’re saying. However, I’m focusing on playing winning baseball.” . . . Infielder Pablo Reyes cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse. Because he never left the organization, he remains eligible for the Mets’ theoretical postseason roster. Eddy Alvarez is not eligible because he was acquired after Sept. 1.
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.
