Edwin Diaz not Ruling out 2023 Return to New York Mets

Mets closer Edwin Diaz is not ruling out a potential return during the 2023 season.

So you're saying there's a chance?

Mets injured closer Edwin Diaz spoke outside the clubhouse on Wednesday morning and said he thinks he can return sooner than the eight month timeline of his surgery recovery.

Diaz suffered a full-thickness tear of his patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a win in the World Baseball Classic. The injury required surgery and the typical timeline for the recovery is 6-8 months. 

"If everything goes well, I think I can be back sooner than eight months," Diaz said.

"They want me to get better first and then they’ll see how I’m responding and my strength and all these things that I have to do, and then start throwing," he explained. "If the tests come back good, I might throw this year.

"I’m feeling great. We are working hard to see if I can come back as soon as possible, but everything is going in the right direction right now with the team, and the doctors say I’m doing great, so I’m really happy."

According to Diaz, his current rehab process includes working on his leg and keeping his arm in shape.

"Every day we're doing something new with the knee," he said. "All the results have been good, so I think we're going in the right direction. Let's see what happens."

With Diaz out, David Robertson has served as the Mets' closer. Behind Robertson, the Mets have Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley and Drew Smith as their other late-inning arms.

Diaz underwent surgery on March 16. If he can return in six months this would mean he'd be back in September. Should he make it back in seven months, he'd return for the postseason in October.

Although Diaz injured himself in the World Baseball Classic, he said he wouldn't hesitate to participate again. 

"People can get hurt in their home, any place," he said. "It happened to me in the WBC, that’s part of the game. I wasn’t pitching, I was celebrating with my teammates.

"So, if I had the chance to play again for my country, yeah, I would do it. ... I just was celebrating with my teammates and no one hit me, no one nothing, I just fell down. When I was on the ground I saw my knee."

READ MORE:

- Justin Verlander To Move Rehab To Florida; Rehab Start Expected

- Brett Baty Homers In Yet Another Robust Performance At Triple-A

- Former Met Darin Ruf Rejoins San Francisco Giants on MiLB Deal

Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.