Sean Reid-Foley is at a standstill with his rehab. The right-handed reliever isn’t getting the results he wants in his rehab assignment, so the team has decided to pause his minor league assignment for now.
“We don’t know [what’s next],” manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday at Citi Field. “He’s not sure if his mechanics or what, but the ball is not coming out of the hand way he wants it to, the way he would like it to, so we’ve got to figure out what we’re dealing with here.”
Reid-Foley was shut down with a shoulder impingement for the second time this season in late June thinking this rehab would be much shorter than the first one. However, it took a month before he was able to start a rehab assignment. Being on the 15-day injured list, Reid-Foley is up against a 30-day clock which will expire Aug. 26.
The Mets can extend his rehab window if they formally shut him down, but it’s unclear as to what the plan will be moving forward.
“It’s a little frustrating because of that,” Mendoza said. “I’ve got to get back with the trainers and talk to him, but I don’t think we’ll see him in a game in the next few days.”
Mendoza said Reid-Foley feels fine “physically” but his velocity was down around 92-93 mph in his appearance with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday night (from 95-96). He has allowed runs in three of his six rehab outings (seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, 14.90 ERA) and walked at least one hitter in five outings (eight total walks).
As of Wednesday afternoon, Mendoza was unsure of whether or not Reid-Foley would undergo more imaging. The manager hoped to have more information after the Mets completed their game against the Oakland A’s.
Right-hander Dedniel Nuñez (pronator strain) threw a bullpen Wednesday, hitting 94 on his fastball. Mendoza said the reliever is “getting close.”
OH MY TAUNT
Austin Adams said he meant no harm by taunting Jose Iglesias after the reliever stranded two runners in the fifth inning to help stymy a comeback attempt. The right-hander, who nearly made the Mets’ Opening Day roster before the club decided to go with right-handers Yohan Ramirez and Michael Tonkin, threw his hands in the air three times much the way the Mets do after they hit home runs.
The celebration is a nod to Iglesias, whose song “OMG” has become the Mets’ theme song this summer.
“Honestly, I looked up, and I was so surprised that I got out of it, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh!’ And then it dawned on me: Oh, my gosh. And then so I did it,” Adams later told reporters. “But that song is sick. Iglesias is a good dude. Hopefully, no one is offended.”
The Mets were, in fact, offended, with closer Edwin Diaz saying Adams crossed a line. But it wasn’t so much about the dance on the mound, it was the profanities Adams appeared to yell while walking off of it: “Get the f— out of here you f—ing piece of sh—.”
Adams brushed that off as simply pitching off “emotion.” However, this isn’t new for him. His antics have angered other players in the past and it’s big talk from a 33-year-old journeyman reliever.
The controversy had largely blown over Wednesday, with the Mets avoiding the subject. They lost to one of the worst teams in baseball and a veteran clubhouse understands that taunts don’t come when they win.
“We’ll let baseball settle the score,” said designated hitter J.D. Martinez.
EXTRA BAGS
The Mets launched Mets Connect, the club’s first-ever loyalty program this week. The program rewards Mets fans with unique opportunities and experiences by earning points through single game ticket purchases, scanning tickets for entry to games, food and beverage purchases at Citi Field, merchandise purchases at the team store and playing interactive games on the Ballpark app.
Brandon Nimmo hosted the Long Island Bombers baseball program at Citi Field on Wednesday as part of his Nimmo’s 9s program. The Bombers play beep baseball, a modified version of the game played by blind and/or vision-disabled athletes that uses a beeping ball and buzzing bases.
