The New York Mets made a splash on Christmas Eve by signing one of the most talented relievers in the free agent market. They announced that Dellin Betances, who had spent all of his career with the New York Yankees, would now play in Queens and join what is shaping up to be a very solid bullpen, despite last season’s blunders.
However, Betances suffered a partial Achilles tear back in September and also dealt with diminished velocity during spring training. The question, then, is: how is he doing? Will the Mets clear him for summer camp?
The normal approach by the New York Mets, given the time he was away and how slowly he progressed back in March, would be to say that they will bring him along step by step and we won’t know for sure if he’s fully healthy until we see him pitch. But the team, per Anthony DiComo, seems to be hyping their prized reliever.
The Mets are excited by his current physical state
“We are extremely excited about where he is physically,†said general manager Brodie Van Wagenen this week. “He’s been one of the players that has been off a mound and able to face real hitters here over the course of the last couple weeks in live batting practice, simulated games, however you want to describe it. He’s had multiple sessions where he’s faced Major League hitters over the course of the last couple weeks, and he’s encouraged. Our performance staff evaluated him over the last couple of days, and we’re ready to see what he looks like when we start going here.â€
Back in Spring Training, he got treatment on his left Achilles every day, suggesting that it was still an issue. That’s why, in part, his velocity remained in the low-90s when we are used to see him in the mid-to-high 90s. But the truth is that it is normal for him to start around that velocity, only to ramp it up in a few weeks.
The Mets’ wild card reliever (he can close or come out to put any fires given his strikeout ability) has had three more months to recover and looks ready to roll.