Jacob deGrom says elbow ligament is 'perfectly fine'

MIAMI — In his first public comments in more than five weeks, injured Mets ace Jacob deGrom offered a terse statement Thursday, insisting that his problematic right elbow is fine.

"I know what was said, but my ligament is perfectly fine," he said on the field after Mets batting practice. "I’ve been throwing. So I wouldn’t be throwing if I had a compromised ligament. That’s the plan, to continue to throw and build up and see where we end up. And that’s all I’m going to say."

Then he walked away without taking questions.

DeGrom was referencing the reveal from team president Sandy Alderson on Tuesday that deGrom’s elbow injury wasn’t just inflammation, as the team previously had claimed, but a minor sprain — a slight tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. Alderson emphasized that the issue "has resolved itself" and "the ligament is perfectly intact at this point."

In a bottom-line sense, deGrom and Alderson seem to agree in asserting that his elbow is OK.

But it is not clear if deGrom’s brief remarks were meant to contradict Alderson’s that the elbow sprain existed at all. Asked if that injury indeed happened, deGrom walked off the field, through the dugout and into the visitors’ clubhouse.

That came after a productive few hours for deGrom, who played "light catch," according to manager Luis Rojas, after taking Wednesday off. The Mets hope he advances to throw from the slope of the mound "soon," Rojas said.

Alderson said deGrom pitching again this season is "still very much up in the air."

DeGrom also chased fly balls and fielded grounders during batting practice, a favorite afternoon pastime that he has done less often lately.

McCann surprised

James McCann was surprised and unhappy to be removed, in favor of pinch hitter Patrick Mazeika, in the 10th inning of an eventual Mets loss Wednesday.

"Those are the spots you dream of. You want to be in those spots. It was tough," he said. "In-game, it’s a manager’s decision. You respect it. We talked about it later."

Rojas explained that he wanted the lefthanded-hitting Mazeika instead of the righthanded-hitting McCann in that spot against Miami’s Anthony Bender.

McCann has a .236/.297/.349 slash line this season, the first in his four-year deal with the Mets.

"It’s not the way I would draw it up for my first season in New York," he said. "But that’s a spot I want to be in. That’s a moment that I want to be up there with an opportunity to help the team win."

Nido nearing return

Tomas Nido likely is headed to Triple-A Syracuse to begin a rehabilitation assignment this weekend, Rojas said.

He has played in one game since mid-August, between stints on the injured list due to a sprained left thumb.

"The thumb is better," Rojas said. "He’s not feeling much when he makes contact."

Prospecting

The Mets promoted highly regarded shortstop prospect Ronny Mauricio to Double-A Binghamton on Thursday.

In 100 games with High-A Brooklyn, he hit .242 with a .290 OBP and .449 slugging percentage. His 19 home runs were nearly triple his career total entering the season (seven across two seasons).

For the Mets, that is an extremely satisfying year from the 20-year-old shortstop, who impressed during major-league spring training. The organization realizes that his Mets future likely won’t be at shortstop — since Francisco Lindor is under contract for the next decade — but Mauricio hasn’t played any other positions yet.

Catcher Francisco Alvarez, 19, also has excelled in Brooklyn, but he is unlikely to reach Binghamton this year. He has a .246/.344/.528 slash line with 19 homers.

Extra bases

Jonathan Villar, 1-for-his-last-15 after a recent hot stretch, was out of the lineup in favor of J.D. Davis . . . Noah Syndergaard will visit a firehouse in Queens on Friday, continuing a Mets tradition of doing so around the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks . . . Prior to their last home game this week, the Marlins had a pregame moment of silence for the 20th anniversary, with both teams lined up in fr