The New York Mets rotation is officially in shambles.
Justin Verlander is still not fully healthy, Jose Quintana will be out for months, and now Carlos Carrasco is dealing with an elbow injury.
Elbow injuries are very dangerous: even the mildest one can knock out a pitcher for weeks or months.
Some of them end up with the pitcher requiring Tommy John surgery and missing about a season-and-a-half.
Carrasco was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with right elbow inflammation.
According to the New York Post’s Mike Puma, Carrasco could be facing surgery if an injection he received this week doesn’t help him manage the pain caused by bone chip in his right elbow.
UPDATE: Carlos Carrasco has a small bone chip in his right elbow, causing the swelling/discomfort that placed him on the IL. The hope is the injection he received today will allow him to resume pitching in two weeks. Otherwise, he could be facing surgery.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) April 19, 2023
Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Carrasco “received an injection and will be shut down for 3-5 days due to the elbow inflammation that sent him to the IL.”
The start of the 2023 season has been a nightmare for the veteran, as he has struggled to an 8.56 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP through 13.2 innings in his first three starts.
Losing Carrasco for a long period would be catastrophic for the Mets’ already thin pitching depth.
Verlander could be back before the end of the month, but Quintana won’t; and Max Scherzer is in his late-30s.
Trevor Megill is somewhat unproven, as is David Peterson.
Keeping Scherzer and Kodai Senga healthy and productive is now the Mets’ priority, but it might not be a bad idea to entertain the idea of acquiring a quality pitcher via trade just in case Carrasco has to miss an extended period of time.
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Mets Ace Gets Ejected For Using A Foreign Substance
