New York Mets Closer Edwin Diaz to Undergo Knee Surgery, Likely out for Season

Mets closer Edwin Diaz will undergo knee surgery on Thursday. He will likely miss the entire season.

A crushing blow for the Mets.

Elite closer Edwin Diaz underwent imaging that revealed a full-thickness tear of the patellar tendon in his right knee, as GM Billy Eppler told reporters. Diaz will undergo surgery on Thursday and is likely to miss the entire season.

Eppler says the typical recovery time for Diaz's surgery is eight months, but in some cases a player could return after six months. However, Eppler did not seem as optimistic about the latter scenario. 

Diaz, of course, injured his knee during the celebration following Team Puerto Rico's dramatic win over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night at LoanDepot Park.

Diaz closed out the win by striking out Teoscar Hernandez. He was then met by teammates, who embraced him as they started jumping up and down. The next thing we saw was Diaz on the ground extending his right knee and his teammates motioning towards the dugout for medical assistance. 

Diaz was taken off the field in a wheelchair, as he was unable to put any weight on the leg.

The 28-year-old had a dominant season for the Mets in 2022, posting a 3.2 bWAR, 1.31 ERA, 0.839 WHIP and 17.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

With Diaz out for the year, the Mets' closing options are limited. Their high leverage relief arms include David Robertson, Brooks Raley, who is dealing with a hamstring strain, Adam Ottavino and Drew Smith.

It's possible that Robertson, who has the most closing experience, could take on Diaz's role in the ninth inning this season. Robertson had a 2.6 bWAR, 20 saves and 81 strikeouts last season.

The Mets can also look externally for high leverage relievers with closing experience. Corey Knebel and Zack Britton are available on the open market. Britton is throwing a sim game in front of teams on Thursday and the Mets are one of the clubs that will be in attendance. Britton pitched for manager Buck Showalter in Baltimore. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021, Britton was limited to just three appearances last season.

The Mets re-signed Diaz to a five-year, $102 million deal earlier in the offseason. Unfortunately, he will now be sidelined for the entire first year of his contract. 

Read More:

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- Mets' Jose Quintana to Undergo Surgery, Out Until at Least July

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