Edwin Diaz, the closer for the New York Mets, hurt his right knee while celebrating with his teammates after Puerto Rico defeated the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
Diaz, who sealed Puerto Rico’s triumph and advanced the island nation to the quarterfinals, needed assistance getting off the field and didn’t appear to be bearing much, if any, weight on his right leg. Since then, the Mets have stated that Diaz hurt his right knee and will receive more imaging on Thursday. At that time, the team will give an update.
Edwin Diaz and WBC Victory
Diaz, who will turn 29 on March 22, committed to a five-year, $102 million deal last summer. His most recent season included 62 innings pitched, a 1.31 ERA (297 ERA+), and a 6.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Over the course of 61 appearances, he also recorded 32 saves.
MLB players who compete in the World Baseball Classic must be covered by insurance. The inability to obtain insurance has occasionally caused participants to be compelled to leave the competition. For instance, left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers apparently fell victim to this earlier this spring.
- Mets have stated that Edwin Diaz hurt his right knee during the WBC Victory
- Diaz, who will turn 29 on March 22, committed to a five-year, $102 million deal last summer.
- Over the offseason, the Mets gained David Robertson while keeping Adam Ottavino.
Diaz would not be the first athlete to miss a sizable amount of time after hurting himself during the World Baseball Classic if his ailment turns out to be serious.
Drew Smyly had an injury while competing for Team USA, which caused him to miss the entire 2017 season as well as most of 2018. It should be noted that participation in the WBC has not always been linked to a player’s risk of injury.
In fact, after crunching the numbers in 2017, Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer came to the following conclusion: “The evidence of an injury effect isn’t strong enough to justify preventing players from participating, especially since a well-attended tournament is so much fun for fans — and, in the long run, potentially beneficial for baseball, which in turn enriches teams.”
The Mets would ostensibly use a committee method in the ninth inning with a changing cast of players if Diaz were to miss at least the first few weeks of the season. Over the offseason, the Mets gained David Robertson while keeping Adam Ottavino.
They also picked up Brooks Raley, despite the fact that he had to leave Team USA due to personal injury difficulties.
