Update, 8/16: Ahead of the Mets’ matchup with the Pirates on Wednesday, Buck Showalter told reporters that Edwin Díaz threw off of a mound in the bullpen on Wednesday as part of his progression and that he had a “good face.”

Original Post

During his pre-game media availability session, New York Mets’ manager Buck Showalter addressed the topic of Edwin Díaz, the star closer that suffered an injury to the patellar tendon in his right knee during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

This injury served as a huge blow for the Mets’ playoff aspirations, as they would be without their lockdown closer for an extended period of time. He appeared in 61 games in 2022, and he had a 1.71 ERA (0.90 FIP) with 118 strikeouts in 62 innings, while collecting 32 saves in 35 opportunities.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Although former Mets’ relief pitcher David Robertson was able to fill the void at closer effectively until he was traded to the Miami Marlins, the depth of the Mets’ bullpen suffered greatly without Díaz. In fact, the 2023 bullpen currently has a 4.22 ERA this season, which is almost a full run higher than the 3.55 ERA they accumulated in 2022.

While it was originally assumed that Díaz would miss the entirety of the 2023 season, a recent report from Bill Ladson of MLB.com suggested that he had been meeting a number of benchmarks that would hasten his return. At that point, Mets’ brass declined to comment about a concrete timeframe for his return.

However, that changed today, when Showalter provided news that sparked optimism for Mets fans during a time when they need it the most.

“Edwin’s had a great rehab,” he continued, “That’s the discussion that’s going on now. He might make it, or might not. But we’re not gonna push it.”

It is no secret that this season has fallen very short of the lofty expectations that were placed upon the team during spring training. That said, a lot of the discourse surrounding Díaz has left people debating whether or not he should risk his health to return in a season where a playoff berth is a distant dream.

Showalter alluded to this reality when he said, “Is it good for him? Is it not good for him? We’ll debate that when we get closer.”

These comments could be interpreted in a number of different ways, but the fact that these discussion are even happening is a great sign for Díaz’s progress. If he can continue to engage in “pitching-relative actions,” a return may become more realistic as this disappointing season comes to an end.

With regards to the debate about whether he should return this season, I think that a return, under the circumstances that he is fully healthy, would serve as a morale boost for Díaz and Mets fans alike, as we head into a long offseason ahead of the 2024 season.