The clock appears to have struck midnight on Jesse Winkerâs 2025 season.
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said prior to Tuesdayâs game against the Detroit Tigers that Winker has been shut down from baseball activities and is unlikely to return this year because of a back injury.
The 32-year-old Winker last played July 10. He received an epidural in his back eight days later to treat ongoing discomfort and missed more than a month before beginning a rehab assignment with Low-A St. Lucie on Aug. 27.
Winker, who re-signed with New York on a one-year, $7.5 million deal in January, slashed .229/.309/.400 in just 70 at-bats for the Mets this season.
What is Jesse Winkerâs Injury?
After spending more than two months on the injured list with an oblique strain, Winkerâs return lasted only three at-bats before he got hurt again. The veteran outfielder/designated hitter exited a game against the Baltimore Orioles on July 10 with what the team described as back tightness.
Winker tried to pick things back up last week but went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in Low-A ball.
How is the Metsâ Lineup Impacted?
The injury likely ends Winkerâs season after just 26 games, in which he hit one homer with 10 RBI.
His continued absence will mean more at-bats at DH for Starling Marte and particularly Mark Vientos, who had eight home runs and a .988 OPS in August.
The Mets set franchise records last month for both runs scored (177) and home runs (53) despite going just 11-17. They entered Tuesday with a record of 74-64, six games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East but four games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the final wild card.
Dealt to New York before the 2024 trade deadline, Winker became an offensive sparkplug down the stretch for the âOMGâ Mets, who reached Game 6 of the NLCS before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 22 postseason at-bats, Winker produced a 1.168 OPS.
What Other Mets Are Injured?
In other news, outfielder Tyrone Taylor landed on the 10-day IL Tuesday (retroactive to Aug. 30) with a left hamstring strain. The club also recalled infielder/outfielder Jared Young from Triple-A Syracuse.
While Taylor is known primarily for his elite defensive, heâd recently gotten hot at the plate. In seven games between Aug. 22-29, Taylor went 9-for-21 with six runs scored and six RBI.
In related news, outfielder Jose Siri, who has been out since April 12 with a fractured left tibia, resumed a minor-league rehab assignment last month.
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