Brett Baty Has A Torn UCL in His Thumb

Just as the Mets got some positive injury news hours before Wednesday night’s game with the Dodgers, the team suffered a blow as rookie Brett Baty in heading to the injured list.

Baty has a torn UCL in his right thumb, according to the team, and he will undergo surgery on Thursday. The team said the “typical” return-to-play time for this injury is five weeks, meaning this will all but end his rookie season just 42 plate appearances into the campaign. (He could return for the playoffs, though.)

The 22-year-old was called up August 17–just two weeks ago–and hit a home run in his first at-bat, though he’s struggled with just six hits in 37 at-bats after that.

If this is it for Baty in 2022 regular season, he ends the year with a .583 OPS in the majors and a .315/.410./.533/.943 slash line across 420 minor league plate appearances.

Outfielder Terrance Gore was called up in Baty’s place.

Gore is 31 years old, but he can still fly. He will likely be used only in pinch-running situations and occasionally as a defender. He’s earned World Series rings serving in this pinch-runner role, doing so for the 2015 Royals, 2020 Dodgers and the 2021 Braves, though he never played in a World Series game for either team–just rounds preceding the Series. He has just 77 career plate appearances across seven different seasons with one RBI and 32 runs scored in the regular season.

Major-league rosters expand on Thursday to 28, and Gore was likely going to get called up in that scenario. The Mets will likely hold one of the two roster spots for a reliever and the other for a hitter. Could this be the time Mark Vientos gets the call?