The Mets aren’t ready to rule out Brooks Raley for the entirety of the season, but it sure doesn’t sound as though the lefty will be back any time soon.
Raley is seeking another opinion, this time with Dr. Keith Meister of his native Texas. Dr. Meister, the longtime Texas Rangers’ team doctor, specializes in the reconstruction of shoulders, elbows and knees. Along with Dr. Neal ElAttrache of Los Angeles, Dr. Meister is one of the most prominent, sought-after surgeons for elbows.
Raley and the Mets could have more clarity after the pitcher sees Dr. Meister on Tuesday. Tommy John surgery seems to be a possibility, though manager Carlos Mendoza doesn’t want to speculate.
“Just to make sure we’re not missing anything before we think we can take the next step,” Mendoza said Friday before the Mets opened a series against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. “He won’t throw until he visits the doctor and we get more clarification.”
Raley was placed on the 15-day injured list April 21 with elbow inflammation after he struggled to recover after throwing. A key part of the Mets’ bullpen, he was off to a fantastic start to the season, his second with the Amazins’, having not allowed an earned run through seven innings. The Mets typically like to use him in high-leverage situations, especially against homer-hitting lefties. Without Raley, Jake Diekman is the only established left-hander in the bullpen. The Mets have used Tyler Jay, Josh Walker and Danny Young. Since they’ve had to shuttle relievers back and forth from Syracuse to keep fresh arms in the bullpen, none have been around longer than a week.
Raley has already undergone imaging with the Mets team doctors at Hospital for Special Surgery and while the last MRI came back with no structural damage, the inflammation was persistent. Initially, Raley played catch from flat ground, but the Mets shut him down last week before he underwent more imaging.
Raley is nearly 36, so surgery may not be a route he wants to take. PRP injections can heal partial UCL tears and cortisone can help with inflammation. But it’s still a waiting game until he sees Dr. Meister.
The Mets are also waiting to see how Kodai Senga recovers from his Friday bullpen session. The right-handed ace has thrown to live hitters twice and wanted to work on some mechanical issues in the bullpen Friday. The next step will be a long-awaited rehab assignment with a minor league affiliate, or another bullpen.
Senga is eligible to come off the injured list May 27.
“He’s trying to get back to feeling like himself with his mechanics and all that,” Mendoza said. “We’ll see how he responds today.”
The Mets are not pushing the pace of his rehab from a strained capsule in his shoulder.
“You’re still dealing with a shoulder, you never know what’s going to happen,” Mendoza said. “You just try to stay the course. Hopefully, he continues to progress at the same rate he has been [progressing]. But we’ve still got to go through a lot of hurdles here. He’s got to go out and start facing hitters, pitching in games, and then [we have to see] how he’s going to bounce back after each outing.”
The good news is that two pitchers are close to making their returns. Right-handed starter Tylor Megill (right shoulder strain) will make a fourth rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Syracuse and right-handed reliever Drew Smith will throw Saturday for Syracuse. They are both eligible to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
Right-hander Adrian Houser has not pitched in a week and the Mets are still unsure of whether they will put him back in the rotation for his next turn. Houser was available out of the bullpen this week in St. Louis but was unneeded. Should the Mets and Braves play through the weather Friday, he will likely throw at least an inning in relief.
