Products You May Like
Dedniel Nuñez, the rookie right-hander who came out of nowhere to be a solid piece to the back-end of the Mets’ bullpen this season, is done for the rest of the year, per manager Carlos Mendoza.
The skipper broke the bad news while speaking to reporters before Friday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“He’s got a flexor injury. He got a PRP [injection] today, he’s done for the year,” Mendoza said. “So, we won’t see Nuñez back this year.”
The 28-year-old rookie landed on the 15-day IL on Aug. 26 with right forearm tightness after appearing in one game following a return from a different IL stint with a right pronator strain.
Nuñez looked good in that outing, striking out three over 1.2 innings against the San Diego Padres, but the right-hander felt discomfort in his forearm that night and ultimately returned to the IL.
Following the second injury, Mendoza and the Mets were “frustrated” but there was a level of optimism that Nuñez would return to the mound. That’s no longer the case.
“He didn’t progress the way we expected. We waited for the inflammation to go down and that’s when we decided to go [for more tests] because he was making progress, but not the way we would like to, and that’s when we decided to go for an MRI,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza wouldn’t rule out surgery as being a possibility over the offseason, but indicated it was too soon to tell how Nuñez would respond to the treatment.
The skipper also added that the right-hander’s ligament “seems to be fine” and that the team is hoping the PRP injection works so he can avoid surgery. Ultimately, that decision will need to be made in a few weeks to a month.
For now and the remainder of the season, the Mets will be without a budding star in their bullpen.
In 25 games, Nuñez pitched to a 2.31 ERA (0.91 WHIP) and had 48 strikeouts in 35 innings. After starting out in middle relief, his role quickly increased to higher-leverage situations which he handled with aplomb.
“It’s disappointing for us. We had hopes that we were gonna get him back and that’s not the case,” Mendoza said. “…Big blow, but guys will continue to step up.”