With injury depleted rotation, Mets could face uphill battle in NL East

The New York Mets have been bitten by the injury bug early, and it could have them in an early hole in the National League East standings.

Feb 15, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea (59) looks on during a spring training workout at Clover Park. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It would not be the first time the New York Mets have had to climb out of an early hole. But with the rotation taking a hit to two key starters already, the first stretch of the year is gearing up to be a rough one.

It all started when Frankie Montas was shut down for 6-8 weeks with a high-grade lat strain on February 17. FanGraphs projected the veteran to be the third pitcher in the rotation come Opening Day, so while it was not the best news, it certainly was not the worst.

Later in the spring, Sean Manaea was diagnosed with a right oblique strain. While not the best pitcher on the staff, Manaea would have carried the lion's share of the starter's workload with Kodai Senga coming off an injury-riddled 2024 that saw him pitch only five innings in the regular season. Manaea was the de-facto ace of the rotation.

Sean Manaea is likely to begin the season on the injured list due to an oblique injury pic.twitter.com/1NA1m4HAUB

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 24, 2025

This leaves the Mets with a projected rotation of Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill, and Griffin Canning. It is not a unit that strikes fear in the hearts of opposing offenses, specifically those at the top of the National League East.

Read more: More context on New York Mets' Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas injury timelines

While the Mets will not face the Atlanta Braves until much later in the season, New York will take on the Philadelphia Phillies, the reigning National League East champions, from April 21-23. Montas will not be back by then, and while Manaea is expected back at some point in April, it remains to be seen if it will be in time for that series.

After an off day on April 24, the Mets then turn around to play the Washington Nationals from April 25-28. The Nationals have been an underwhelming team in recent years, but their young lineup looks to take a step forward in their development this year, and they are not a team to be taken lightly.

The opening-month schedule additionally includes three-game sets against the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Sacramento Athletics, and Minnesota Twins, plus a two-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks to close out April. Considering most of these squads have quality lineups, this is a difficult stretch for a team with an injury-depleted rotation.

This is not even to mention that Francisco Alvarez is now out with a fractured hamate bone, an injury hard enough to come back from gracefully as a hitter, exacerbated by the fact that he is also a catcher, and Brandon Nimmo still dealing with nagging injuries. The first stretch of the year will not be fun for Queens.

Carlos Mendoza says that Francisco Alvarez has a fracture in the hamate bone of his left hand.

He will have surgery tomorrow and is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks. pic.twitter.com/dl8fixzOMX

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 9, 2025

Even with the influx of injuries, on paper, the Mets are still a good team. All teams face some sort of adversity every baseball season, and this year, it seems that the injury bug the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Braves dealt with in 2024, has been contracted by the Mets.

It will not be an easy year, and the pitching for the first month will not be pretty. But the Mets have climbed their way out of holes in the division before (including last season). However, with the injuries they have faced so far, especially in the rotation, that hole may be a bit bigger than those in previous years.