The worst-case scenario for Mets reliever Dedniel Núñez has come to pass.
Núñez will undergo Tommy John surgery, manager Carlos Mendoza announced prior to Saturday's game against the Royals in Kansas City.
"Unfortunate. You feel for the guy. He gave it a try," Mendoza said. "It’s something he dealt with last year, missed the rest of the season. Rehabbed the whole year, worked extremely hard. Put himself in a position where he came in healthy in spring training and went through Triple-A. When we started to see that version of Núñez for him to go down is unfortunate. We wish him the best, a quick recovery and we’ll be praying for him."
It is the second such surgery Núñez will undergo in his career (2021). The Mets skipper said the procedure will be done next week and was unsure if it's the traditional Tommy John surgery or the internal brace surgery that comes with a shorter recovery time.
As Mendoza alluded to, the timing of Núñez's injury is unfortunate. After dominating in 2024, Núñez was placed on the IL in late July with a pronator strain. He returned to make one appearance in August before going down with right forearm tightness.
This year, Núñez struggled after beginning the season on the IL. The right-hander was optioned to Triple-A, but when he was recalled to the team in late June, Núñez was much more effective. In five appearances since returning to the Mets bullpen, Núñez allowed just two runs over 6.0 innings pitched.
The Mets placed Núñez on the IL back on July 3 with an elbow sprain and did not rule out the surgery, but the procedure will knock the 29-year-old out for the rest of the 2025 season and potentially next year.
Juan Soto DHing
Mendoza penciled in Soto as the DH for Saturday's game and was asked for the reason. The Mets skipper said it was just to give his outfielder a breather after he fouled a pitch off his thigh in Friday's win.
"Just fouled it off [his thigh], got tight," Mendoza explained. "Went up to him yesterday before I put in Acuna to see if he can finish the game. And then he went deep. It’s one of those that happens throughout the year."
After Friday's homer, Soto is now hitting .328/.473/.687 with 14 home runs, five doubles, 29 RBI, 35 runs scored, and 35 walks over his last 39 games.
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