Mets starter out for rest of season after freak accident leads to broken finger

New York Mets starter Carlos Carrasco has dealt with numerous injuries since joining New York as part of the Francisco Lindor trade with the Cleveland Guardians, but none freakier than this. 

Manager Buck Showalter told reporters Tuesday ahead of the Mets’ matchup with the Washington Nationals that Carrasco broke the pinky finger on his throwing hand. 

It was a freak accident.

“In the weight room. It was an accident,” Showalter told reporters, via SNY. “Just had a 50-pound barbell fall on his finger. Set it down, flipped. Nasty.”

Showalter continued to say that Carrasco had a second procedure to “clean it up a little bit” with a pin placed in the finger. 

The Mets said the general timetable for a return from this type of injury is four to six weeks.

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The Mets reportedly placed Carrasco on waivers last week, and he wasn’t claimed by any other team. So, he remained in Queens. 

Carrasco has struggled in his 14th MLB season with a 6.80 ERA over 20 starts. He’s allowed 68 earned runs with 18 home runs and 115 hits in 90 innings.

Carrasco’s most recent start came against the Los Angeles Angels, and he couldn’t get through two innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits. 

The Mets exercised Carrasco’s $14 million club option this offseason to keep him in the rotation, which was bolstered by Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana and Kodai Senga. Things have not gone the way the Mets would have liked for 2023, and Carrasco is one of many disappointments in a lost campaign.

Carrasco, who battled through leukemia after being diagnosed in the 2019 season, has had several injuries since joining the Mets. 

He dealt with a hamstring issue before the 2021 season, his first as a Met. Carrasco started just 12 games that season and had a 6.04 ERA.

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In 2022, Carrasco had back and side injuries, though he was able to pitch in 29 games with an ERA just under 4.00 over 152 innings. 

That led the Mets to believe he would be solid for the bottom of the rotation. But the 36-year-old dealt with an elbow injury this year that cost him some time. 

With Carrasco heading to free agency, the Mets didn’t have an issue placing him on waivers last week. Now that his season is over, his time with the Mets is likely over. 

The Mets recalled right-hander Sam Coonrod from Triple-A Syracuse to fill Carrasco’s spot on the roster.