In a unique turn of events for the current campaign, the New York Mets offered a negative injury update that failed to surprise or alarm the club's fans.
Mets manager Luis Rojas told reporters ahead of Wednesday's game at the Atlanta Braves that right-handed relief pitcher Dellin Betances will undergo season-ending surgery Thursday to repair a lingering shoulder problem:
Luis Rojas says Dellin Betances will undergo shoulder surgery and will not pitch in the 2021 season. pic.twitter.com/CClakdJwCs
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 30, 2021
Betances made a single relief appearance in April and then went on the injured list with right shoulder impingement and hasn't pitched in the big leagues since. According to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the 33-year-old accumulated a 19.24 ERA in his minor-league rehabilitation assignments before he suffered new soreness in the shoulder.
Betances earned four All-Star nods while with the New York Yankees but has been a shell of his former self since joining the Mets in December 2019. He pitched in 15 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and went 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA.
Considering Betances is out of contract after the season, it's likely he's thrown his last pitch as a member of the Mets.
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