Amazingly, the Mets are really grateful to have him back.
With four weeks remaining until Opening Day, the Mets’ pitching staff has been dealt another blow.
On Thursday, multiple reports indicated that Max Kranick will start the season on the injured list. The right-hander suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, reported The Athletic’s Tim Britton, who added that Kranick will be shut down for 7-10 days.
Kranick made one Grapefruit League start for the Mets on Feb. 26. He didn’t allow a baserunner in two innings of work with two strikeouts against the Nationals.
“(I) Feel for the kid, after battling Tommy John and working really hard to get back on the mound,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, via SNY. “With the two innings that we saw the other day, we were encouraged with his velo. I think he was up to 96 (mph) and he was feeling pretty well.”
Kranick was in contention for the Mets’ fifth rotation spot along with Tylor Megill, Joey Luchessi and José Butto. He is the second starter on the team’s roster to suffer an injury that requires a length of stay on the IL.
Last week, Kodai Senga was shut down after dealing with a “moderate right posterior capsule strain” in his right shoulder. After receiving a PRP injection, Mendoza revealed that Senga would not be throwing for at least three weeks, likely pushing his timeline for return to sometime in May.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was asked if the team would be more apt to tap into the free agent market after announcing Senga’s injury. He indicated that he prefers to promote from within
With this latest, development, it would be interesting to see if Stearns has a change of mind. Jordan Montgomery, who helped the Rangers win the World Series, and Blake Snell, who won the NL Cy Young Award are still available. And so is Michael Lorenzen, who threw a no-hitter in his second start with the Phillies last season.
