New York Mets: Seth Lugo Diagnosed with Partial UCL Tear
By Tim Haberin
New York Mets right-hander Seth Lugo has a “slight” UCL tear in his elbow. Though he won’t need surgery, it’s unknown how long he’ll be out of commission.
The New York Mets were hoping for a relatively healthy 2017 season for their pitching staff after last year’s injury-marred experience, but they have already had to deal with a couple of setbacks not even a week into the new campaign. Seth Lugo has been diagnosed with a partial tear in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of his right elbow.
According to Marc Carig of Newsday, the tear is minor and will not require surgery. Instead, the 27-year-old right-hander will get a platelet-rich plasma injection.
Per team source, Seth Lugo has a slight UCL tear in elbow. No surgery needed. Received PRP injection and he will rest.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) April 4, 2017
Lefty Steven Matz recently suffered a strained flexor tendon that is expected to keep him sidelined for a while, so the Mets now have a pair of their young hurlers on the shelf for an undetermined period. While there is no real timetable for Lugo’s return at the moment, it likely won’t be soon either.
Across town, Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka famously suffered a partial UCL tear in 2014. He also avoided Tommy John surgery in favor of rest and rehab, ultimately missing almost three months. He’s encountered a couple health issues since then, but nothing directly related to the elbow. There’s no guarantee Lugo’s situation will be comparable, of course.
There is also some question concerning exactly when Lugo injured his elbow. Per the New York Times’ James Wagner, it could be the resurfacing of an older injury. He points out that Lugo did experience some elbow soreness last season.
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Lugo tossed 15 innings for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, but there has been no indication the issue started there. He logged another 11.1 frames for the Mets in Spring Training, managing a 5.56 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.
The right-hander made his big league debut last season, throwing 64 innings over 17 appearances, eight as a starter. Lugo posted a 2.67 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 2.14 K/BB ratio, impressing in his first taste of the majors. He figured to play a similar swing role for the Mets in 2017.
The Mets will be thankful that their big three of Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey remains intact, and they will cross their fingers that it stays that way for the entire campaign. The losses of Lugo and Matz put even more pressure on them to stay healthy, however.
Robert Gsellman and Zack Wheeler bring up the back-end of the rotation, and both will need to step up with the Mets’ pitching depth dwindling. Wheeler’s injury history is well-documented after a 2015 Tommy John surgery, and Gsellman suffered a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder last September. The Mets will look for solid seasons from both.
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The 2017 Mets got off to a positive beginning yesterday with a 6-0 win over the Braves, though starter Noah Syndergaard flirted with the injury bug himself in the form of a blister that forced him from the game after six innings. The Mets moved his next outing from Saturday to Sunday, which they hope will quell the issue.