The Mets may not have gotten the call to play ball for their 2021 season yet, but one of their big acquisitions is already working towards his Mets debut.
Carlos Carrasco, the other piece of the Francisco Lindor trade with Cleveland, is working his way back from a torn right hamstring he suffered during workouts in mid-March. The injury was described as a Grade 1 strain and occurred while he was also working his way back from elbow soreness and general fatigue from the COVID-19 vaccine.
The original expectation was that he would miss about 6-8 weeks and would not make his Mets debut until the middle of May, likely as the No. 2 or 3 starter behind Jacob deGrom.
He stayed behind in Port St. Lucie while the rest of the team broke for Washington and has thrown bullpen sessions since then, but per MLB.com Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo, he’s taken a big step forward over the weekend.
Carrasco threw two innings in a simulated game at the Mets spring training complex on Sunday.
On Friday, Mets manager Luis Rojas said that Carrasco had “advanced really, really well.” He still has to do other things – field his position and push off the mound – before a full assessment can be made, but facing batters in a simulated game situation is a step in the right direction going forward as it looks as though Carrasco could join the team on the low end of that 6-8 week timeline, barring any setbacks.
Carrasco returning from injury in that time frame would provide a big boost to the Mets rotation, which is already missing their other All-Star starter Noah Syndergaard as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. Syndergaard is expected back as soon as late May-early June.
While Rojas says the timeline for Carrasco’s return hasn’t changed despite the progress he has made, the simulated game action and the bullpen sessions are steps in the right direction and a welcome sign for the Mets as they prepare to hopefully make a big splash in 2021.
