Report: Josh Edgin won’t need surgery

UPDATE, March 11, 10:58 PM:

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, citing two sources familiar with the situation, Josh Edgin will not need surgery for the injury that was being checked out Tuesday and Wednesday. Instead, it’s expected that Edgin will be prescribed rest and rehabilitation.

Rubin noted that the Mets are still waiting for more information and are not expected to comment on Edgin’s injury until Thursday.

Edgin, who said on Tuesday that his entire arm was bothering him, had concerned Terry Collins with his lack of velocity early in camp.

Thoughts:

While avoiding surgery would be good news for Edgin and the Mets, it’s tough to react until the severity of the injury and the potential rehab timeframe is known.

If Edgin is unable to break camp with the team, the Mets will likely have to turn to one or two left-handers out of the group of Sean Gilmartin, Scott Rice, and Dario Alvarez.

Josh Edgin is heading for an MRI on his elbow.

Terry Collins was worried about Edgin’s velocity after his appearance on Monday, and Edgin detailed the issue to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York on Tuesday:

"It’s elbow. It’s everything. Arm. It’s discomfort."

Edgin’s fastball ranged between 88 and 91 MPH during his 1/3 of an inning on Monday, during which he gave up back-to-back run-scoring triples to left-handed batters.

Pitching coach Dan Warthen noted to Rubin that this issue is different from last year’s issue, when the Mets considered Edgin’s problem to be the fact that he was out of shape.

Edgin, who was sent to minor league camp early last Spring Training but returned during the season and was highly effective, was set to be in the pen and perhaps be joined by Rule 5 draftee Sean Gilmartin, Scott Rice (who is on a minor league deal), or Dario Alvarez, who would’ve served as a second lefty.

In 27.1 innings pitched for the Mets in 2014, Edgin posted a 1.32 ERA and 0.91 WHIP while striking out 9.22 batters per 9.

Thoughts:

As was noted Monday, reacting in a concerned fashion after one poor Spring Training outing would seem pointless for most. However, with Edgin having dealt with the same velocity issues last Spring Training, this was something to keep an eye on.

While Edgin performed very well after returning to the majors in 2014, he was not a slam dunk to be an effective reliever. His track record isn’t that long, and the Mets’ failure to add a second established lefty reliever to either pair with or replace Edgin may turn out to be a major issue.

Regarding the possibility of using Steven Matz in relief, a Mets official told Mike Puma of the New York Post that that was not happening.

The Mets stated during the offseason that they had no plans to sign a lefty reliever to a major league deal, instead opting to go with Edgin and perhaps a lefty brought in on a minor league deal or one of their prospects.

If Edgin is out for any period of time, the Mets will likely be forced to use a pitcher who wasn’t expected to make the team in any capacity as their primary lefty reliever.

Another option for the Mets could be to trade for an established lefty reliever, which might be the smartest move if Edgin’s injury is serious.