Source: Mets RHP Dellin Betances Has Begun Rehabbing From Shoulder Surgery

Mets reliever Dellin Betances, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in early-July, has begun rehabbing, a source tells Inside the Mets. Find out the details of his timeline and what's next.

Mets relief pitcher Dellin Betances, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in early-July, has begun rehabbing and is expected to start throwing again in November, a source tells Inside the Mets.

After Betances starts throwing three months from now, the plan is to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic to showcase himself to MLB teams, with the hope of earning another contract, as he is set to become a free-agent after the 2021 season concludes.

Following back-to-back disappointing seasons, Betances' time with the Mets is expected to be over. The 33-year-old signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Mets in December of 2019, which included a $6 million player option.

Despite posting a 7.71 ERA in 11.2 innings during a COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, Betances was able to exercise his option, which allowed him to stick with the Mets this season, where he attempted to bounce back. 

However, he landed on the IL in April with a shoulder impingement after throwing just one inning. And although he began a rehab assignment in June, it was ultimately announced on June 30 that he would need season-ending shoulder surgery.

Now, a little over six weeks later, Betances has already begun his shoulder rehab, and is also doing lower body exercises in order to stay in shape once he’s ready to start throwing. Those close to him say he’s determined to make it back to the big-leagues and prove he can once again pitch at a high-level. Something he hasn’t done since 2018 with the Yankees.

Prior to coming to the Mets, Betances was one of the premier relievers in all of baseball. The right-hander threw in the upper-90's and was a three-time All-Star (2014-17). He is also the only relief pitcher in baseball history to record 100 strikeouts in five straight seasons.

When the Mets and former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen signed Betances, they ignored his injury plagued 2019 campaign, and thought they were getting a dominant high-leverage arm in their bullpen. Unfortunately, Betances has been hit hard by the injury bug since his final season in the Bronx, where a shoulder injury and torn achilles limited him to just 0.2 innings.

Since then, his two year stay with the Mets included rotator cuff and shoulder issues, as well as a major drop off in velocity. But the hope is, that with this latest surgery, Betances can revive his career in what will be his age-34 season.

While it seems like a long shot at this point given his age and recent injury history, for now, he is highly motivated and certainly on the right track.