The New York Mets, already without Frankie Montas for an extended period, will now be without their ace starting pitcher for some time. The New York Post’s Mike Puma reported Monday morning that Sean Manaea has an oblique strain and will be shut down “for a couple of weeks” and is likely to begin the regular season on the Injured List.
Mets lose ace Sean Manaea to an oblique injury
This is a crushing blow to a Mets pitching staff that was hoping to deliver better results for them in 2025. Manaea was brought back this offseason on a three-year deal after reviving his career in Queens last season.
Manaea was critical to their NLCS run last season and was their top starting pitcher with Kodai Senga on the shelf for most of last season. He posted a 12-6 record with a 3.47 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 181.2 innings.
This is an unusual injury for the star left-hander, as he has been relatively durable since 2020. He led the American League with 32 starts while with the Oakland Athletics in 2021 and made that same amount of starts in 2024 with the Mets.
The Mets may need to add a starter following Manaea’s injury
The Mets will now be without two of their top starting pitchers to begin the season. They loaded up on pitching depth in the offseason by adding Griffin Canning in free agency as well as transitioning Clay Holmes into a starter, but they might need some reinforcements for the start of the season.
Perhaps this latest injury opens the door for a potential reunion with Jose Quintana. A reunion seemed to be shut down given the amount of depth they initially had, but with both Montas and Manaea out for an uncertain amount of time, the Mets should re-consider the idea of bringing Quintana back.
The Mets will be hopeful that they can get their ace back soon enough. Until then, they will rely on the offense and their depth starters to get the job done.