NEW YORK – The Mets’ rebuilt bullpen was hit hard on Saturday when the team announced that Seth Lugo will undergo surgery to remove a loose body from his right elbow. The Mets plan to have Lugo stop throwing for six weeks, leaving him out of consideration for the Opening Day roster.
In a phone interview, Lugo said he didn’t feel anything abnormal in his arm until last week, when his elbow started to swell and it wouldn’t sink. After a few days, Lugo called a member of the Mets training staff who had scheduled an MRI. That test, taken on Friday, revealed a bone spur that had broken off from his right elbow.
Lugo will undergo surgery on Tuesday, but the right-handed – who has thrown a partially torn UCL in his elbow for the past four seasons – called his fate far better than the worst-case scenario.
‘I’ve been optimistic ever since [Friday], ‘Said Lugo. ‘Last week I sat there thinking,’ If I rip [a ligament], my career may be over, so this is awful. ‘But I feel really good now that it’s normal [the bone spur]… The worst-case scenario was: I’ll never pitch again, so I’m pretty happy. “
It’s a tough hit for the Mets nonetheless, as Lugo has been their clear best reliever for most of the past three seasons, with a 2.68 ERA with 207 strikeouts over 181 1/3 innings from 2018-19. Last summer, the Mets attempted to stretch Lugo on the fly as a starting pitcher, with mixed results; he gave up two runs over his first 11 2/3 innings, before ending the season with a 9.82 ERA in four starts.
After the season, Lugo started pitching earlier than usual in October because of how strong he felt after the shortened 60-game schedule. It wasn’t until February that he felt any discomfort, all of which stemmed from the bone trail – not his UCL.
“I was actually quite satisfied with it [the diagnosis], ”Said Lugo, who chose to rehabilitate his UCL rather than undergo Tommy John surgery in 2017.“ It was good news for me, minus a bit of time missing. … This is kind of the first thing that ever showed up since – I don’t want to say UCL. I don’t want to bring it up. With the MRI [on Friday], it looked great. The doctor was very impressed with how it turned out. “
The bone spur is of more immediate concern. A six-week shutdown brings Lugo to the last week of March, just days before opening day. Although Lugo declined to comment on his timeline, he remained optimistic about his overall forecast. If he can start tossing on schedule, it will likely take Lugo another month or more to work in game form, making May a realistic scenario for his return.
“I’m just going to have the operation and go from there,” said Lugo.
In the meantime, the Mets will have to find someone else to fill Lugo’s unique role in the back of their bullpen. He had become a true “firefighter” for the Mets in recent seasons, often throwing in the highest leverage positions from the middle innings through the ninth. That way, Lugo was a candidate to keep taking save opportunities away from Edwin Díaz, while also remaining active in the middle to late innings.
The Mets have added two pitchers, Trevor May and Aaron Loup, to big league deals this winter, as well as a swingman, Sam McWilliams, who could potentially play part of Lugo’s role. Díaz, May and Loup are locks to the Opening Day bullpen, as are Jeurys Familia and Dellin Betances – provided the Mets do not trade either of the two in salary dump-type deals. Miguel Castro and Drew Smith also feature prominently, but Lugo’s injury increases the likelihood that the Mets will continue to seek emergency relief outside the organization. The team has been associated with free agents Trevor Rosenthal and Justin Wilson in recent days.
During the start of this off-season, Mets officials debated whether Lugo would be a better fit for their rotation or bullpen – a debate that essentially ended when they added multiple pieces to their starting mix. Now the Mets are just hopeful that Lugo can make a significant contribution in the last two-thirds of 2021.
“It’s a professional group,” said Lugo. “With the boys coming back from last year, I have no doubt that they will be able to keep up the races. I’m still looking forward to meeting the new guys we’ve signed, and hopefully, when I come back, we’ll be well in the standings. Better now than in August, right? “