The New York Mets recently got some good injury news one their top left-handed reliever, Brooks Raley.
Roughly a week ago, Raley was ruled week-to-week by general manager Billy Eppler with a low-grade hamstring strain. Shortly after Eppler’s update to the media, Raley spoke with reporters and expressed his desire to be available for the first game of the 2023 regular season and was fairly optimistic that he would be.
Mets Brooks Raley throws bullpen session, hopes to be ready for Opening Day:
Last night, Tim Healey of Newsday shared that Raley threw a bullpen session on Sunday. Raley made known that he is hoping to get at least one more outing in during a Grapefruit League game this week. Lastly, Raley said that he should be good for Opening Day.
Raley is just one of the many injuries that have piled up on the Mets in their work this preseason. The pitching staff alone has lost Edwin Diaz for likely the season, Jose Quintana for at least three months, Bryce Montes de Oca is out for some extended time, and Kodai Senga has been banged up too. In the bullpen specifically, aside from Raley, the Mets’ next-best left-handed option is likely Joey Lucchesi.
The Mets traded for Raley this offseason, and the move generated some excitement. This bullpen was a major concern all year long last season and needed a reliable left-hander. Raley is coming off by far the best year of his career in 2022. He appeared in 60 games and finished with a 2.68 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 0.9 WAR. In 53.2 innings pitched, Raley recorded an impressive 61 strikeouts.
With Diaz already out for the season, the Mets bullpen cannot afford to lose Raley for much time. He will have a key role in leading the unit alongside David Robertson and Adam Ottavino. The great thing is that Raley has expressed nothing but optimism with regard to his availability to start the year. Hopefully, he continues his progression.