new york mets

The New York Mets announced Thursday afternoon that right-hander Rafael Montero has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm and will likely need Tommy John surgery to repair it.

Montero, 27, was out of minor-league options and was a fringe candidate to make the Mets’ Opening Day 25-man roster. This settles that debate.

Since making his MLB debut in 2014, Montero has pitched to a 6-16 record with a 5.38 ERA, 1.705 WHIP, and 8.8 strikeouts-per-nine innings.

The team signed him as a free-agent in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic and had very high hopes for Montero throughout his longer-than-expected development.

There’s a good chance we won’t see Rafael Montero back in a Mets uniform until, at the very least, mid-2019. The recovery period for Tommy John surgery can take anywhere from 12 to 18 months.

Montero is under contract with the team until the end of the 2022 season and is eligible for arbitration next year. The team could place him on the 60-day disabled list and he’d still get a year of MLB service time. Putting him on 60-day DL also opens up a spot on the 40-man roster which is currently full.