The New York Mets received a positive injury update Friday. Veteran left-hander José Quintana has been cleared to throw after tests on his rib came back clean, he told reporters, including MLB.com. Quintana had bone-graft surgery in March to repair a rib fracture, during which a benign lesion was found. He will throw a light bullpen session on Saturday, then everyone will get together and figure out the next step.
"It's time to get ready for baseball," Quintana said Friday.
The Mets have been hit hard by pitching injuries this season. Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill are the only pitchers to remain in the rotation all year and Megill didn't even make the team out of camp. He was sent to Triple-A at the end of spring training, then recalled when Justin Verlander landed on the injured list just before Opening Day.
Verlander returned earlier this month and Carlos Carrasco, who missed a month with an elbow issue, is set to be activated Friday and start against his former team, the Cleveland Guardians. He will take the spot of lefty David Peterson, who was expected to be a key depth pitcher this season, but has instead allowed 35 runs in 39 innings.
Even with Quintana yet to make his Mets debut, the club has used nine different starting pitchers this year, the third most in baseball. In related news, the Mets have received a 5.29 ERA from their starters, sixth highest in baseball. Their starters rank 29th with 0.0 WAR. They badly need Scherzer and Verlander to pitch at a high level, and Carrasco to provide stability.
Quintana, 34, signed a two-year contract worth $34 million this past offseason. Last year he threw 165 2/3 innings with 2.93 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. While Friday's update is certainly positive, Quintana is not expected to return until sometime in July. He must build up and pitch in rehab games before joining the Mets.
New York enters play Friday with a 22-23 record and a minus-17 run differential. They are in third place in the NL East, six games behind the Atlanta Braves.
