New York Mets Injury Updates: Taijuan Walker, Tylor Megill, Drew Smith
Entering play on Monday night, the New York Mets held the second best record in all of baseball at 79-44.
But as strong as the Mets have looked, their bullpen has been shaky at best, beyond elite closer Edwin Diaz. Their pitching staff has also been hit hard by the injury bug as a whole.
The good news for New York is that they should be getting some much-needed reinforcements back soon in the form of a starter and three relievers.
Taijuan Walker (bulging disc in back) is scheduled to start for the Mets on Tuesday in Game 2 of the Subway Series at Yankee Stadium. After getting his outing pushed back, Walker passed his final work day test on Monday and has been ruled ready to pitch.
Tylor Megill (shoulder), who began the season as a starter, has been throwing bullpens and is set to face hitters for the first time on Friday. Despite recent injuries to Carlos Carrasco (oblique) and Walker, Megill says the plan for him is to return as a relief arm. He would presumably begin a rehab assignment after throwing a couple of live batting practices. The hope is for a late-August/early-September activation off of the IL.
Drew Smith (lat strain) has also been throwing, and according to manager Buck Showalter, his timeline is similar to Megill's. While It's currently unknown when Smith will throw a live batting practice session, he could return around the early-September range and the Mets could certainly use him in their bullpen.
Tommy Hunter (lower back tightness) was supposed to come off the IL on Sunday, but suffered a hiccup in his rehab, per Showalter. That said, the Mets are hopeful that Hunter will be able to rejoin the big-league roster within the next few days.
Bonus: catcher Tomas Nido cleared the Covid protocols and was activated prior to Game 1 of the Subway Series on Monday night. For the time being, the Mets will carry three catchers: Nido, James McCann and Michael Perez.
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