Mets' Griffin Canning to be sidelined up to a year with ruptured Achilles
Griffin Canning of the New York Mets is checked on after an injury during the third inning against Atlanta at Citi Field on Thursday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
PITTSBURGH — As of early Thursday evening, Griffin Canning was in the midst of putting together the strongest season of his injury-riddled career. By Friday afternoon, the Mets righthander was in surgery, repairing a ruptured Achilles. The injury will cost him the rest of this year and a significant chunk of 2026.
“It sucks,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday afternoon before the Mets took on the Pirates at PNC Park. “This is a guy that had a hard year last year. It was tough for him, and he put a lot of work in in the offseason and we signed him, and he was very open to the information and feedback and everything we had to offer. And for him to not just take the information but actually going out there and executing . . . You hate to see it.”
Canning, who hurt himself hopping off the mound on a routine grounder Thursday, will be out for about nine to 12 months, though Mendoza would not put an exact timetable on it. Canning was placed on the 60-day injured list.
Rookie Blade Tidwell, who already had been been called into emergency starting duty twice this season, was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday and is slated to take Canning’s turn next week.
After that, “we’ll take it one start at a time,” Mendoza said.
Canning was one of the Mets’ most consistent starters, going 7-3 with a 3.77 ERA. It was a significant improvement from 2024, when he pitched to a 5.19 ERA in 32 games with the Angels. He subsequently was traded to Atlanta, which non-tendered him.
He chose the Mets as a landing spot and repeatedly said he was drawn by the success they’ve had in getting the most out of their pitchers, demonstrated by the bounce-back seasons enjoyed by Sean Manaea and Luis Severino in 2024.
Canning’s injury further complicates a dicey pitching predicament. Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill are on the injured list with a hamstring strain and elbow sprain, respectively, and likely are about three weeks from returning, barring any setbacks. An MRI on Monday discovered loose bodies in Manaea’s left elbow at a point when he was a week shy of a potential return to the major-league roster from the oblique injury he suffered in spring training.
Manaea received a cortisone shot earlier this week and played catch in New York on Friday before a possible final rehab start next week. When asked about his progress, Mendoza said it is “one day at a time.”
Manaea said it is unclear whether he’ll have to pitch through discomfort when he returns. A best-case scenario has him coming back in the second week of July.
The Mets’ rotation, which spent months as the best in baseball, is down to three regular starters in David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas, who returned from his lat injury last week. Paul Blackburn, who originally was slated to be a long relief arm before Senga got hurt, is their No. 4.
Tidwell showed improvement in his start against the Phillies last week, cruising for three innings before allowing two runs in the fourth inning of the 10-2 loss. He has a 9.82 ERA in his two major-league starts.
Vientos up, Young down
Mark Vientos (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day IL and Jared Young was optioned to Syracuse, a move that means Ronny Mauricio remains on the roster.
“We felt like at-bats obviously are going to be limited, but keeping a guy like Mauricio that can provide some type of versatility with the way he’s been playing as of late, we feel like there’s going to be enough at-bats to keep him on the roster,” Mendoza said. “Our goal is to win baseball games here but also understanding that we have a lot of young players that need development . . . As long as we feel like there’s going to be at-bats and there’s going to be some playing time for them, we feel comfortable” keeping them around.
Personnel news
Righty Austin Warren, who pitched 2 1⁄3 innings of scoreless relief after Canning got hurt in Thursday’s 4-0 win over Atlanta, was optioned to Syracuse . . . Reliever Richard Lovelady was outrighted to Triple-A and elected free agency . . . Lefthanded reliever Colin Poche was added to the big-league roster . . . Outfielder Jose Azocar signed a minor-league contract and was assigned to Triple-A. Azocar played 12 games with the Mets earlier this season before being designated for assignment. He had a .278/.350/ .278 slash line in 20 plate appearances.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
