New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz sustained a full thickness tear of the patellar tendon in his right knee, an injury that will require surgery, and he’s expected to miss the 2023 season.
The Mets announced Diaz will undergo surgery Thursday. Recovery timeline is approximately eight months, six months in some cases.
“We won’t update Edwin’s timeline for a while,” Mets GM Billy Eppler said Thursday.
Diaz was injured Wednesday night while celebrating Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic in Miami. The right-hander closed out the game and was celebrating with his teammates in a huddle when he injured his knee.
He dropped to the ground in a heap and was carried off the field to a wheelchair. His brother, Puerto Rico teammate and Cincinnati Reds pitcher Alexis Diaz, could be seen crying as Edwin Diaz was wheeled away.
Edwin Diaz, who turns 29 on Wednesday, is one of baseball’s top closers. He posted 32 saves in each of the past two seasons with the Mets, earning his second All-Star Game nod in 2022. He was an All-Star with the Seattle Mariners in 2018, when he led the majors with 57 saves.
He’s 16-29 with a 2.93 ERA with 205 saves in seven seasons.
Diaz signed a five-year, $102 million contract with the Mets in the offseason.
