The Mets confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Seth Lugo has a partial tear of the UCL and he received a platelet rich plasma injection at the Hospital for Special Surgery, this morning.
The plan for now is that Lugo will be shut down for two weeks before starting a throwing program.
Surgery still remains an option, the team says. But that will be dependent on the success of the PRP injection, the prescribed rest, and the throwing program.
Original Report
According to Marc Carig of Newsday, sources tell him that right-hander Seth Lugo has a slight tear of the UCL in his pitching elbow. Surgery will not be required, but Lugo did receive PRP injection in his elbow and has been prescribed rest.
Lugo was initially placed on the disabled list before Monday’s game with what the Mets termed “arm fatigue,” and he was seeking a second opinion on his right elbow after being examined by Dr. Altchek for an undisclosed issue,.
“We lost Seth Lugo today for a period of time,” Terry Collins surprisingly said after Monday’s 6-0 win. “We know how important it is to keep our pitchers healthy.” However he declined to explain his comment, only to say Lugo would miss a couple of weeks.
Lugo, 27, complained of arm fatigue following a start after returning from the World Baseball Classic. All told, Lugo pitched more than any pitcher in camp this spring, tossing 26.1 innings between the Grapefruit League and the World Baseball Classic.
In eight starts last season, Lugo went 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA. He made nine appearances out of the bullpen, pitching to a 2.65 ERA over 17 innings.
Only two weeks ago, I myself was lauding the Mets starting pitching depth as they entered the season seven starting pitchers deep. It’s amazing how quickly things can change. With this news plus the news on Steven Matz and his flexor strain on Monday, that seven starting pitcher depth quickly went from seven to five. Suddenly, Rafael Montero has become a very important Met again.
