Nothing quite knocks the shine off spring training optimism like the initial injury updates, and left-handed reliever A.J. Minter of the New York Mets will likely spend the first few weeks of the season on the injured list, according to Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeTalk.com via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
This news isn’t completely unexpected. Minter, who’s 32, underwent surgery to repair a torn lat in May, which ended his 2025 season. His timeline beyond that was unclear, and GM David Stearns said during the offseason that Minter was questionable for Opening Day. Now Opening Day has seemingly been ruled out, and the delay could be longer because Minter will likely need a rehab assignment of a few weeks when he does return.
Minter was durable with the Atlanta Braves from 2020-2023, according to McDonald, as he pitched 208-2/3 inning with a 2.89 ERA during that time. He also struck out 30.7 percent of the hitters he faced during that stretch, with a walk rate of 7.8 percent.
His injury problems started in 2024. They began with hip issues, which ultimately required surgery, and the Mets signed him to a two-year, $22 million deal before last season that included an opt-out. That deal is starting to look like a major miscue, though, and it’s fair to ask whether Minter will ultimately be in the Mets pitching plans this year at all.
The Mets do have other options, of course. They added several lefties with big-league experience, most notably Brandon Waddell, who started the Mets’ spring training opener. It’s early enough in spring training for the Mets to start working the waiver wire, as McDonald notes, but this usually isn’t the way good teams do business.
The Mets also have tradable pitching pieces if they want to make a more significant move. There’s a backlog at the back of the rotation, with starters Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea being the pitching pieces that could end up being out of the mix when the season starts at the end of March. Manaea’s contract probably makes him untradable unless the Mets want to absorb some of the money, but it could be time for Stearns to get creative.
This is definitely a situation to monitor as the intensity of spring training games gets elevated a little. Pitchers will be increasing their innings load, and there are always casualties that make changes necessary when this happens. More pitching dominos will fall in this sequence, but at the moment the Mets have a slot for a lefty reliever to fill by Opening Day.