QUEENS — The news isn’t necessarily fresh for the Mets, but it is for those tracking the recovery of star closer Edwin Diaz from right knee surgery.
Manager Buck Showalter said before Tuesday’s series opener against the Chicago White Sox that the fireballing right-hander is throwing at 150 feet as he continues to progress toward what has long been viewed as a best-case scenario of a late-season return.
A timetable, however, will continue to remain a mystery out of what Showalter describes as respect for nearly everyone involved with the organization.
“I just try to stay away from ‘OK, best case scenario, when would it be?’ I don’t think that’s fair to the trainers, the medical people, really to our fans, and most importantly, to Edwin,” Showalter said. “Edwin is doing everything he can, meeting every benchmark of a very serious injury. If you were a basketball player, your career would probably be over. So we’re taking it step by step.
“When he pitches, we’re going to be sure that we’ve crossed all the right hurdles to get there. There’s still some unknown there.”
Considering where the Mets are with two weeks before the trade deadline, there isn’t much reason to rush Diaz back for the final days of the regular season. Entering Tuesday’s play, the Mets sat 18.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for the NL East and 8.5 games back in the NL Wild Card picture.
Regardless, Showalter continues to relay positive updates regarding his closer.
“He’s doing his part. He’s been diligent,” Showalter said. “It’s just good to see him walking down the hall now. If you didn’t know better, you wouldn’t think there’s anything there. So that’s good to see. That hasn’t been the case until recently.”
The reigning Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year Award winner suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee during March’s World Baseball Classic. Despite initial timetables speculating that he would miss the entire season, the 29-year-old implored that he would make it back to the mound this year.
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