New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Díaz expected to miss the season after freak injury
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz has a torn patellar tendon and is expected to miss the entire season after hurting his right knee while celebrating a victory in the World Baseball Classic.
Mets general manager Billy Eppler said Díaz would undergo surgery Thursday. Without going into specifics, Eppler said a general timeline for recovery from this type of injury is about eight months.
The Mets signed Díaz to a 5-year, $102 million contract — the largest ever for a closer — after he produced a spectacular 2022 season. All player contracts are covered by insurance through the WBC that spans the length of time the player is out with an injury suffered during the tournament.
Díaz went 3-1 with a 1.31 ERA and 32 saves in 35 opportunities while striking out 118 batters in 62 innings last season. He made his second All-Star appearance and finished ninth in the Cy Young Award voting.
Díaz, who turns 29 on Wednesday, retired the side in order in the ninth inning of a 5-2 victory over the Dominican Republic that sent Puerto Rico to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. As Díaz and his teammates jumped together in the infield, the right-hander collapsed and reached for his right leg.
He was taken off the field in a wheelchair.
New York Mets fans began the year dreaming about a World Series closed out by Díaz.
For now, they’re facing a potential nightmare.
The way his teammates stood around him in shock didn’t look encouraging.
The injury was exactly what big-league teams and their fans fear the most when their highpriced stars go play for their countries in the WBC.
No matter what, this setback was sure to set off spirited debate about whether the tournament, which started in 2006 and was held every three or four years until a cancellation in 2021, is worth it.
“Those things, they can happen to anybody at any given time,” said Los Angeles Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts,
who was playing for the United States when Díaz was hurt.
“You can always try to place blame on the WBC, but that was just a freak accident that could happen to anyone at any given time,” he said.
Mets teammates Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil also were with the U.S. team in a game against Colombia when a coach told them about Díaz.
“It’s just really heartbreaking to hear about Edwin,” Alonso said after a 3-2 win in Phoenix.
“Every day you show up to the yard, there’s a possibility of getting hurt. There’s hazard in the job. Anyone can get hurt at any given time. Anything can happen,” he said. “That’s the risk we run playing baseball. We’re athletes and injuries are unfortunately part of the game.”