Elbow soreness leaves Carrasco iffy for opener

PORT ST. LUCIE — Carlos Carrasco is in jeopardy of spending Opening Day on the injured list. The new Mets pitcher, who was expected to slot into the rotation at No. 2 or 3, is dealing with soreness in his elbow, Luis Rojas announced on Wednesday. Carrasco is also experiencing body aches from his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine he received on Tuesday. The Mets will give Carrasco “a few days off” from throwing, and they expect him to be back facing live batters next weekend.

“Right now, this is nothing too concerning from a medical standpoint,” the Mets manager said.

Carrasco, 33, first felt the soreness after he threw a live batting practice session on Monday, per Rojas. The starter, who’s pitched in 11 major-league seasons, told the Mets that it’s an aggravation he’s felt before in his career, particularly at this stage of spring training when he’s beginning to ramp-up the intensity of his pitching sessions. Carrasco will receive the necessary treatment and Rojas said: “As far as I know, I don’t think we’re getting an MRI.”

Though the Mets expect Carrasco’s soreness to subside relatively quickly, he is still several steps behind the rest of the team’s starters and appears highly unlikely to be prepared by Opening Day.

“He’s making it sound like it’s something that happened before and it’s something he just goes through, some elbow soreness, and gets right back on the mound,” Rojas said.

Carrasco arrived at Mets camp 10 days after pitchers and catchers officially reported to Port St. Lucie. He said the delay was caused by his doctor’s recommendation for additional heart exams and medical checkups related to his 2019 diagnosis of leukemia. He also received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before traveling to Florida. Carrasco finally threw his first bullpen session on Feb. 28, which was at least a week later than when other Mets starters took the mound for side sessions.

Carrasco has yet to pitch in a Grapefruit League game. Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Taijuan Walker and David Peterson have all made their spring debuts.

Up until Wednesday, Rojas maintained that Carrasco would still be ready and ramped-up enough to make his turn in the rotation come April 1. But that outlook changed after the team learned of his soreness and his subsequent days off from throwing.

“If it’s got to come to a question whether the health is going to be compromised, I think we’re going to be on the safe side starting the season, of course,” Rojas said.

In the best-case scenario, Carrasco’s “few days off” from throwing will help his soreness subside enough that he can at least start throwing bullpen sessions before facing live batters. Even if that happens, Carrasco won’t throw a live batting practice until there is only about a week left of Grapefruit League games. If the Mets are able to squeeze in an exhibition start for Carrasco, it’s unlikely he will have logged enough time, pitches, and innings to ensure he makes his first turn through the rotation.

In the probable event Carrasco misses at least the first week of the regular season, Rojas said he is happy about the club’s starting pitching depth. Southpaws Joey Lucchesi and Peterson are competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, but with the aftereffects of Carrasco’s elbow soreness, it’s likely that both will be included in the Mets’ starting five on Opening Day.

Beyond Lucchesi, Rojas mentioned right-handers Jordan Yamamoto and Jerad Eickhoff as pitchers who are getting stretched out and could “definitely” help out if the situation calls for it. Righties Franklyn Kilome and Sean Reid-Foley and lefty Thomas Szapucki were all optioned to the Triple-A roster on Tuesday and are expected to begin the regular season at the Mets’ alternate site.

The Mets will find out more on Carrasco’s soreness this week, but until then, they’re following his lead. “He’s pretty casual, pretty confident,” Rojas said. “He’s got a great demeanor. He’s a veteran. He knows his body; he knows his arm. This is a guy that’s been through a lot of seasons, a lot of spring trainings.”