NY Mets injury tracker 2024: Which players are out and when might they return?

The New York Mets have yet to play a spring training game and they are already without their top starting pitcher.

The team announced Thursday that Kodai Senga would be shut down from throwing after an MRI revealed a moderate shoulder strain. Meanwhile, both Ronny Mauricio and David Peterson are rehabbing separate surgeries.

Non-roster invitee Kyle Crick was hampered with a calf injury just before spring training was set to begin.

Here are the injuries the Mets are currently dealing with and when they might return:

Drew Smith

Position: Relief pitcher

Injury: Shoulder inflammation

Estimated return: Mid-May

Bottom line: Smith began to feel something was off following two-third of an inning against the Dodgers on April 20. After feeling soreness following a 25-pitch outing against the Dodgers on April 23, Smith was sent for an MRI, which revealed the inflammation. Carlos Mendoza believes it is nothing serious and the righty should not spend much more than the minimum time on the IL.

Brooks Raley

Position: Relief pitcher

Injury: Elbow inflammation

Estimated return: TBD

Bottom line: The Mets placed the left-hander on the 15-day injured list on April 21 as he deals with swelling around his elbow. He missed time with a similar injury in 2023 and spent the minimum time on the injured list, which is the expectation this time around, as well.

Francisco Alvarez

Position: Catcher

Injury: Torn ligament in left thumb

Estimated return: Mid-June

Bottom line: The Mets second-year catcher suffered the thumb injury when he jammed his hand when he stumbled around first base during the team’s game on April 19. An MRI revealed the torn ligament which will require surgery and six to eight weeks of recovery

Tylor Megill

Position: Starting pitcher

Injury: Right shoulder strain

Estimated return: Mid-May

Bottom line: Megill said he felt some tightness in his shoulder after throwing a curveball late in his outing against the Brewers on March 31. An MRI revealed a low-grade right shoulder strain. Megill threw two innings for Single-A St. Lucie on Saturday, striking out six.

Kodai Senga

Position: Starting pitcher

Injury: Moderate posterior capsule (right shoulder) strain

Estimated return: Late May-early June

Bottom line: After feeling arm fatigue following two side sessions, an MRI revealed Kodai Senga’s shoulder strain. He received a PRP injection on Feb. 23, which will kept him from throwing for three weeks. Senga missed Opening Day and threw on back-to-back days for the first time on April 1 as part of his progression to get back on the mound. He was later moved to the 60-day IL, pushing back his potential return.

Kyle Crick

Position: Relief pitcher

Injury: Calf strain

Estimated return: TBD

Bottom line: After beginning the year with a calf strain that kept him from participating in spring training, Crick was moved to the 60-day injured list on March 25 on the eve of the season.

David Peterson

Position: Starting pitcher

Injury: Torn labrum in left hip

Estimated return: May or June 2024

Bottom line: The left-hander underwent surgery in November to repair the torn labrum in his left hip. An original recovery timeline of six to seven months was given. Stearns said Peterson is right on track to return on schedule.

“Playing catch, working out, like I said progressing well and continuing to follow the plan that we’ve laid out,” Peterson said on Feb. 14. “Check all of the boxes and continue to get closer to 100 percent.”

Ronny Mauricio

Position: Infielder

Injury: Torn ACL in right knee

Estimated return: Late 2024

Bottom line: Mauricio suffered a torn ACL during the Dominican Winter League in early December. An initial timeline was given of eight to 12 months. He’s in the early stages of rehab, strengthening his legs and walking easier.

“We don’t have the exact date or an exact timeline, but what we want is to be able to get back on the field as fast as possible,” Mauricio said on Feb. 22. “Is that September? Yeah, that would be the goal. But right now, we don’t have an exact timeline.”