New York Mets News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Mets star closer Edwin Diaz likely lost for season after WBC injury

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 3/16/23

New York Mets fans hoped for any good news regarding the scary injury that closer Edwin Diaz suffered on Wednesday night. Such news never came.

The Mets confirmed that Diaz went down with a right patellar tendon tear that will require him to undergo surgery on Thursday.

"The timeline for such an injury is around eight months," the Mets added, which would indicate that Diaz will not pitch this season.

Individuals such as Andrew Crane of the New York Post, Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports were all quick to point out it's practically a guarantee Diaz will miss the entire 2023 season:

The immediate sense from Mets officials on Wednesday night was that Edwin Diaz suffers a patellar tendon tear but they didn’t know the extent until the MRI today.
He’ll be out a minimum of 6 months, but realistically won’t return until 2024.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 16, 2023

It's a full tear. In some cases, Eppler said, recovery can be six months. But the GM did not seem confident about that scenario. So, Díaz is expected to miss the Mets' 2023 season. https://t.co/krV5UiDkco
— Deesha (@DeeshaThosar) March 16, 2023

Diaz closed out Puerto Rico's 5-2 win over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night and then briefly celebrated with teammates before he fell to the ground with what's been referred to as a freak injury. He eventually required a wheelchair to leave the field.

Big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen spoke with Thosar on Thursday afternoon:

Mets owner Steve Cohen tells me, re: the Edwin Díaz injury: "It’s such a freak accident. Just so unlucky. He’s such a good guy. It’s just terrible. He just wants to win a World Series, that’s what he expresses to me. We’re all just kind of taking it all in right now."
— Deesha (@DeeshaThosar) March 16, 2023

Cohen also addressed the news via Twitter:

Edwin Diaz is a great human being and a fierce competitor. All of us at the Mets are shaken but determined to sustain our quest for a great season. We wish Edwin a speedy recovery.
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) March 16, 2023

As noted by the MLB website, Diaz earned 2022 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award honors after he posted an average of 17.1 strikeouts per nine innings, the highest single-season rate recorded by any MLB pitcher who worked at least 60 innings. Per ESPN stats, Diaz was eighth in the entire league with 32 saves, and he was responsible for a 1.31 ERA and 0.84 WHIP.

The Mets rewarded Diaz with a five-year, $102 million contract in November.

Diaz was more than just a dominant force on the mound for the Mets in 2022. His "Narco" walkout song went viral throughout the summer and routinely energized home fans and teammates en route to the Amazins finishing wins. Just as there's no replacing Diaz in any bullpen, the void in the clubhouse caused by his absence also can't be filled.

"'Sugar' is one of the glue guys in that clubhouse," Boston Red Sox and Puerto Rico outfielder Enrique Hernandez said of Diaz shortly after Wednesday's developments, as shared by Fiifi Frimpong of the New York Daily News. "... He has a really big bank account but his heart is way bigger than his bank account. He’s one of the really special human beings we’ve got in that clubhouse."

In short, the "World-Series-or-bust" Mets could go down as the biggest losers of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

More must-reads: