NY Mets injury update: Every player we know will start the year on the IL

SP Frankie Montas - Lat

A week before Manaea's injury was diagnosed, Carlos Mendoza announced that newly acquired starter Frankie Montas was dealing with a high-grade right lat strain that would shut him down for six to eight weeks. Once he can resume baseball activities, he will need a full, Spring Training-style build-up. This means he will, best-case scenario, be able to pitch in games in late May at the earliest.

This offseason, the Mets signed Montas to a 2-year, $34 million contract. Since finishing sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021 for the Athletics, he has struggled to maintain his consistency. Before landing with the Mets, he had been a member of four teams since 2022 (A's, Yankees, Reds, Brewers) while dealing with various injuries including a shoulder that required surgery in 2023.

Montas was mostly healthy in 2024, making 30 starts as a member of the Reds and Brewers, combining for a 4.84 ERA and a 7-11 record. With injury problems seemingly in the rearview mirror, the hope with the Mets was that pitching coach Jeremy Hefner could help work the almost 32-year-old back to where he was performance-wise earlier in his career, but yet another injury has certainly put a dagger in that plan.