Niese needs surgery; likely out for season /
Knee surgery for Niese likely means end of Mets stint
ST. LOUIS — Jon Niese’s second tenure with the Mets could be finished, after he decided Wednesday to undergo surgery for the torn meniscus in his left knee.
The lefty lasted just onethird of an inning in his Tuesday start and allowed three earned runs in the Mets’ 7-4 win over the Cardinals. Niese faced four batters and threw 21 pitches before walking off the mound in discomfort.
Niese’s arthroscopic surgery will be performed Thursday by Dr. Struan Coleman in New York. It is unlikely Niese would return this season, and the Mets are not expected to exercise their club option on the pitcher worth $10 million for 2017.
Niese was traded back to the Mets on Aug. 1 in a deal that sent disappointing reliever Antonio Bastardo to the Pirates.
In six appearances for the Mets (two starts), Niese was 0-1 with an 11.45 ERA. Last winter, the Mets sent Niese to the Pirates for Neil Walker, who has emerged as one of the top threats in the lineup.
Niese struggled during his four months with the Pirates, going 8-6 with a 4.91 ERA. The highlight of his season might have been beating the Mets in the first game of a doubleheader on June 7 at PNC Park.
Robert Gsellman is scheduled to take Niese’s spot in the rotation on Sunday against the Phillies. In his major league debut Tuesday, the righty fired 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and earned the victory. He became the eighth reliever in Mets history to win his first major league game. Yoenis Cespedes dropped to one knee in left field while fielding a single late in Wednesday’s 8-1 loss to the Cardinals. According to manager
Terry Collins, the issue was an ankle Cespedes twisted earlier in the season that sometimes gives him trouble. Cespedes stayed in the game.
Jay Bruce said he is hopeful to return to the lineup Thursday after leaving Wednesday’s game with a cramp in his right calf. Bruce said he believes the soreness stems from a ball he fouled off his shin last weekend in San Francisco. Bruce said he felt the cramp while running to his position in the first inning, but wanted to remain in the game for at least one at-bat to see if it loosened. After hitting a leadoff double in the second, Bruce was removed.
“It felt like a cramp that wouldn’t let up,” Bruce said.
Walker will be activated from the paternity list on Friday, according to Collins. His wife, Niki, gave birth to a girl Tuesday in Pittsburgh. …
Sean Gilmartin was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas after the game, replacing
Erik Goeddel on the roster. Goeddel allowed two earned runs over 1 2/3 innings after arriving earlier in the day to replace Niese on the roster.