Edwin Díaz, the closer for the New York Mets, will play in his first game back after rupturing his patellar tendon in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The right-hander, who has a 20-pitch limit, is anticipated to be the first reliever following starter Tylor Megill when the Mets take on Miami on Monday night during spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
“Excited for the boys, for the whole team, for himself,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday. “The fact that he gets to pitch in a major league game for the first time after, you know, a long year of rehab and all that, I think is important for all of us.”
In March of last year, Díaz hurt his right knee while celebrating with teammates following Puerto Rico’s 5-2 victory over the Dominican Republic.
The Mets had their first of many injuries in 2023, which forced the team to trade Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer before the trade deadline. A year after New York qualified for the postseason as a wild card, manager Buck Showalter was sacked.
With thirty-nine saves and a 1.31 ERA in 2022, Díaz, 29, was an All-Star for the Mets. 118 of Díaz’s 186 outs that year came via strikeouts.
After playing in his first All-Star season with Seattle in 2018, Díaz was traded to New York.