What the Jose Quintana injury means for the Opening Day roster beyond his replacement

Ouch! New York Mets free agent signing Jose Quintana is expected to be out for at least three months as he heals from a rib injury. This means missing possibly the entire first half of the season. We’d need to expect a rehab assignment at some point and the possible worrisome setback along the way.

In our latest projected Opening Day roster, I left Quintana out of it because of the already existing concerns about his health. Now that it’s confirmed, there are a couple of players this will affect the most.

How the Jose Quintana injury affects the Mets Opening Day roster

The most obvious is the team will now need a new starting pitcher to replace him. David Peterson is the obvious favorite with Tylor Megill not too far behind. Either one works. Both will be in constant competition with each other for the duration of the 2023 season for this spot on the roster.

Losing Quintana does have a trickle-down effect. With Peterson or Megill in the rotation for several months, the Mets will need to take into consideration how the rest of their starting pitching depth looks.

Joey Lucchesi is one guy who may become exclusively viewed as a starting pitcher option rather than a bullpen arm. He has been a possible long-man option for the team out of the bullpen alongside Elieser Hernandez. Lucchesi may turn out to be more useful for the Mets to have as someone they can turn to in case Peterson or Megill isn’t getting the job done or if another injury occurs.

Removing Lucchesi out of the long-man race could be problematic if the team also finds itself without Brooks Raley to begin the season. Dealing with an injury of his own that removed him from WBC competition, the Mets will now need to consider every angle when it comes to planning which 26 they bring with them to Miami on March 30.