Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

Jed Lowrie. The gift that keeps on taking away.

At the time of his signing, Jed Lowrie’s two-year, twenty-million-dollar contract represented a nice change in pace for the Mets. Instead of going into the season with a bevy of unanswered depth questions, Lowrie’s signing virtually guaranteed that New York would be all set at the infield.

Yet, a year into the deal, it’s evident the Lowrie deal has been the worst signing of the Brodie Van Wagenen era. The latest entry into the Jed Lowrie storyline arrived today, as Steve Gelbs of SNY reports, that Lowrie has been placed on the IL with left knee discomfort.

Lowrie’s knee discomfort is the latest of his many ailments since signing with the Mets. In Spring Training in 2019, Lowrie injured his left knee capsule. While on a minor-league rehab stint, he then suffered what Brodie Van Wagenen called “kinetic issues with his left side”, in addition to a left hamstring strain. While recovering from that injury, the infielder also endured a right calf strain. Despite all the odds being stacked against him,  he returned to the big-league club in September, going hitless in seven at-bats.

In 2020’s original edition of Spring Training, Jed showed up to camp with a full leg brace on his left leg. Despite being cleared by Van Wagenen, Lowrie didn’t appear in any Spring Training contests.

In Summer Camp 2.0, Lowrie refused to give any explanation towards his ailments, claiming “he didn’t want to offer any distractions.” Despite being photographed running the bases, he did not participate in either of the recent exhibition games against the Yankees.

Although A timetable for Lowrie is unclear, he will see a team doctor at the end of this week. He is a free agent at the season’s end.

The Mets also placed RHP Walker Lockett on the 10-day IL with lower back discomfort.

Lockett, 26, struggled in his initial season in Queens, posting a 8.34 ERA, a 6.17 FIP, and a 1.721 WHIP in nine games. Despite his issues in 2019, he was expected to be the first-man-up, should an injury befall a member of the rotation.

Both players will not be ready for Opening Day.