An official statement of Jed Lowrie‘s poor health has become as natural as the sun rising every morning. The little amount of hope the New York Mets had in Lowrie quickly evaporated when he headed to the Injured List with left knee discomfort.
Recapping Mets' injury situation:
-RPs Brach, Hughes on IL (undisclosed reason)
-IF Jed Lowrie on IL (left knee discomfort)
-C Wilson Ramos is away from the team (personal issue)
-RP Robert Gsellman has right triceps tightness
-OF Jake Marisnick has left hamstring tightness
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 20, 2020
Lowrie was running bases and taking reps in the field but still could not play without the leg brace. Manager Luis Rojas said he was not at a level to contribute competitively. Lowrie will visit Dr. David Altcheck to figure out where they go moving forward. Surgery is off the table for now, but his leg health is on par with Derrick Rose of the NBA.
Back to the Bench
Lowrie’s trip to the injured list opens up a 30-man roster spot when the Mets open up Friday. He would have been a bench player anyway, and filling his place with Luis Guillorme provides a much better glove and maybe a better point at this point in Lowrie’s career. It also highlights another blunder made by Brodie Van Wagenen during his first offseason with the Mets.
5 scoreless innings last night for #Mets pitching prospect Walker Lockett. Including these 3 of his 4 Ks on the night. Showed impeccable command all night of his FB and breaking balls. pic.twitter.com/bbNZCdFCed
— Ernest Dove (@ernestdove) May 25, 2019
Not as notable is the lower back injury causing Walker Lockett to head to IL. Likely a swingman at best, he was battling for a spot as an extra starter on the roster. Either Corey Oswalt or Stephen Gonsalves are likely to replace him in the bullpen.
Brad Brach and Jared Hughes are also IL members, likely due to COVID-19, and have no time table to return. Add Robert Gsellman‘s right tricep issues, and the Mets bullpen is quickly thinning. The back end group still suits well, but anything past that is becoming a significant question.