Just Mets

Josh Edgin underwent an MRI on his left elbow on Tuesday, and visited with Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.

Edgin reported general discomfort in his left elbow on Monday after he struggled in the Mets 13-2 loss to the Marlins at Tradition Field. After the game, Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen told reporters Edgin could be going through a “dead arm” period after his velocity was in the 88-91 mph range.

Edgin went 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 47 relief appearances for the Mets in 2014, during which lefties hit just .184 against.

Here is the latest on Edgin:

March 13, 11:20 AM: Edgin’s MRI has been sent to Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion, according to multiple reports.

March 12, 9:19 AM: Sandy Alderson told reporters an MRI on Edgin’s elbow concluded he has stretched ligaments in his left elbow.

Alderson said Edgin is weighing whether or not to have Tommy John Surgery, and will decide in the next day or two.

Alderson said should Edgin decide to undergo surgery, he should be ready for the start of the 2016 season. His readiness for the start of next season would not be impacted if he chooses to rehab his elbow first.

No matter what Edgin decides, he will likely open the year on the DL.

Now, the season certainly shouldn’t come down to Losing Edgin. But it does have implications. Like I said yesterday, the Mets could have been in a better position to absorb a major injury to Edgin if they had simply acquired experienced depth behind him, as they said they wanted to do early in the off-season. Even signing more arms to minor league deals would at least give them more to choose from in camp. Now, the Mets are looking at one of Scott Rice, Sean Gilmartin, or Dario Alvarez to be the primary lefty reliever, none of which have particularly stood out to this point in their respective careers. Maybe they can go out and find an experienced left-handed reliever, but as Sandy Alderson has said, deals don’t typically take place during spring training, and the free agent market is barren of any notable candidates.

There’s an argument to be made the urgency for a top shelf left-handed reliever has been lessened thanks to Adam LaRoche departing the division, for instance. But, Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard and others are all still there, and Id hate for them to lose critical games – even against the Braves and Phillies – because of a lack of quality flexibility late in games.

The point is, this is a situation that got cloudy and complicated, and probably should’ve been much easier to cope with.

My guess is the Mets will turn to Gilmartin and Rice to start. That way, they’re sure to retain their rights to those players while leveraging  maximum roster flexibility. That way, if one or the other (or both) don’t work out, they can recall either Alvarez or Jack Leathersich from the minors down the road with no further implications.

To read about the candidates who might replace Edgin, check out Rich MacLeod’s post to JustMets.net from Tuesday.

March 11, 10:28 PM: While the diagnosis is not clear, Edgin could require only rest and rehabilitation for his ailing left elbow, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

Rubin says the Mets are still waiting for additional information from Dr. Altchek as of Tuesday night, but are expected to have further details on Thursday.

Rubin says elbow surgery – including Tommy John Surgery – has not been recommended for Edgin.

March 11, 4:50 PM: Sandy Alderson said Edgin is on his way back to Port St. Lucie, and the team could have an update on his condition tonight, tweets ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin.