Bryce Montes de Oca. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
The Mets removed right-handed relief pitcher Bryce Montes de Oca a few weeks ago from his outing after the flame thrower exhibited command issues and a dip in velocity. As a precaution, they would send him for further tests and imaging. The MRI showed no ligament damage, and the Mets were hopeful that he would only miss a few weeks of action with a stress reaction in his elbow.
Per Russell Dorsey of Bally Sports, Montes de Oca will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove bone fragments from his throwing elbow. Montes de Oca will require a lengthy recovery of four months. Once he resumes throwing, we might see him make a possible return later this season. Montes de Oca is on the 40-man roster, so the Mets will move him to the 60-day injured list at some point to open up a roster spot.
It’s unfortunate news for Montes de Oca, 26, who debuted last season and was putting together a solid case this spring for earning one of the Opening Day bullpen spots this season. In his first two appearances this spring, he threw two scoreless innings and consistently pumped 100 mph with above average movement on his pitches
Montes de Oca features a three-pitch mix of a cutter, sinker, and slider. He achieved a remarkable 33.8% strikeout rate with a 3.33 ERA and 80 strikeouts between Triple-A and Double-A last year.
The big right-hander suffered other injuries earlier in his career. He previously underwent knee, shoulder, and back surgeries, which kept him out for a while. With another setback this year, hopefully, he can recover quickly and get back on the mound sooner rather than later.
