PCL laxity in his knee
about last year, when Lowrie was still sidelined with presumably the same knee issue, Van Wagenen indicated the team has known about the injury dating back to last season. He does not believe the PCL laxity was something the Mets missed, through his initial physical exam, when he signed with the team.
“I think the PCL laxity is something that we've known, has been part of the root of his problem here for several months,” Van Wagenen said.
The Mets' passionate fanbase has long been frustrated with the lack of information provided on Lowrie's knee injury up to Thursday, when his official PCL laxity diagnosis was revealed. While fans have long second-guessed Lowrie's signing, Van Wagenen continued singing the praises of Lowrie's ability to be a switch hitter. The GM, when directly asked if he secondguessed bringing Lowrie on a team that already had infield depth, indicated he is discontent with the way the signing has so far gone.
“Well, we're seeing now and we saw it last year as well, the importance of versatility,” Van Wagenen said. “Jed being a switch hitter that could play all three infield positions was a strategic move to give us depth and versatility on the infield. It was important then and it's important now.
“It's been disappointing to him and obviously disappointing and frustrating to everyone involved that we haven't been able to see him perform in that role.”
Marcus Stroman (left calf muscle tear) will face live hitters Friday for his first major step in returning to the Mets rotation. The right-hander was placed on the injured list on July 22 and has since been throwing bullpen sessions and keeping his arm gameready. The calf injury is not a problem for Stroman when he pitches or throughout his pitching motion, so he can continue ramping up his pitch count.
Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen indicated his throwing program while being sidelined with the injury gives the team confidence that it can shorten his timeline to return.
“Marcus is an explosive athlete. He plays with high energy,” Van Wagenen said “To give him the freedom to be the player, the only way he knows how to play is full throttle. We need to make sure when he does show that burst that we're not risking re-injury and we keep him out for a longer period of time.”
Stroman sustained the injury on a comebacker during his penultimate outing in Mets camp. Though his calf was swollen, the team thought it was just tightness based on Stroman's feedback. He continued on schedule and noticed the lingering calf tightness in his final outing of camp. A few days later, an MRI revealed the muscle tear.
The right-hander, who becomes a free agent after this season, has since been maintaining his agility and working out in the training room.
"He's going to have to train and put himself in a position where he feels confident and the training staff feels confident he can play the game at full speed,” Van Wagenen said. “He's a ground-ball pitcher, so he's going to need to make sure he can get off the mound and cover first base — all the things that are programmed into his mind on a daily basis anyway.”
DOZIER MOVES ON FROM ‘PADRE DEBACLE’
The Mets officially selected Brian Dozier from their alternate site in Brooklyn Thursday after signing him to a minor-league contract last week. Dozier batted seventh and started at second base in Thursday's matchup against the Red Sox to give Robinson Cano a day to rest his legs.
Dozier won a World Series ring with the 2019 Nationals then signed with the Padres in February. He asked to be released from San Diego earlier this month, citing the team's dishonesty as a reason for his departure from a situation he referred to as “the Padre debacle.”
“I'm a big transparent guy,” Dozier said. “I love people to be honest with me and let's just say that wasn't the case over there by any means. So I had to get out of there and I'll leave it at that.”
Dozier hit .238/.340/.411 with 20 homers in 482 plate appearances for the Nationals last season. He was on the fence about playing this season – with a wife who is 18 weeks pregnant and an 11month-old baby at home. But his wife ultimately told him to play, and Dozier jokingly implied she was tired of seeing him at home after months of quarantine.
MAXWELL HIGHLIGHTS ROSTER MOVES
In addition to the selection of Dozier from Brooklyn, the Mets made a flurry of other roster moves on Thursday.
Infielder Eduardo Nunez was placed on the IL with a left knee contusion, lefthander Daniel Zamora was recalled from Brooklyn, righthander Hunter Strickland was designated for assignment and catcher Bruce Maxwell was officially signed to a minor-league contract.
Maxwell, who was exiled from the A's after kneeling in 2017, reported to Brooklyn on Thursday.
“He's going to have to start up a little bit later than the other guys given that he wasn't in summer camp. But our optimism is he can get himself going and be a viable option for us as we go forward,” Van Wagenen said.