Mets' Dedniel Nunez will have Tommy John surgery for second time
New York Mets' Francisco Lindor steals second during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, July 12, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For this second time in his nascent career, Dedniel Nunez will be derailed by Tommy John surgery.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed Saturday that the reliever, who was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 4 with a partial UCL tear, will undergo the procedure next week. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Texas.
“It’s unfortunate,” Mendoza said. “You feel for the guy. He gave it a try. Obviously, this is something that he dealt with last year (when he went down with a flexor strain), he missed the rest of the season, rehabbed the whole year, worked extremely hard, put himself in a position where he came in healthy in spring training and then he went to Triple-A and when we started to see that version of Nunez (that was effective last year), for him to go down — we wish him the best, obviously a quick recovery and we’ll be praying for him.”
Nunez, 29, who was signed by the Mets as an international free agent in 2016, first got the surgery in 2021, stalling his development. He didn’t make his major-league debut until April 2024, but immediately had an impact. The power-throwing righty racked up the strikeouts on the way to a 2.31 ERA in 25 appearances with the Mets, and was pivotal in their stretch run, striking out 48 batters in 35 innings.
Even then, though, he struggled with injury: In July, he hit the IL with a right pronator strain. He returned to the team and appeared in just one game, but was fully shut down in September with the flexor strain.
He began this year on the Triple-A roster as he looked to harness his command, but pitched in 10 games with the Mets, with a 4.66 ERA — product of two bad outings. He held opposing batters scoreless for the other eight.
Although the prognosis for return to play after Tommy John is good, it worsens with every subsequent surgery, according to the American Medical Association.
“If you have a second and third Tommy John surgery, your outcomes are worse. It’s a longer return to play. It’s a lower likelihood of return to play,” Dr. Eric Makhni, an orthopedic surgeon with Henry Ford Health, said in an informational series with the AMA. “If we have to go back and there’s a loose piece of bone or fragment, it’s a lot of scar tissue and it’s much harder for the surgeon, the patient and the recovery.”
Soto banged up, but banging
Juan Soto DHed Saturday after fouling a ball off his shin Friday and almost immediately proved he was OK, hitting a 435-foot bomb in the fourth inning Saturday.
“You guys saw the way he ran after Mark [Vientos] hit that double [in the eighth Friday], so he’s fine,” Mendoza said. “Last night, when I checked with him, he said he wanted to be in right field and I said, let’s give you a DH…I went up to him [Friday] before I put [Luisangel] Acuna in the game, I wanted to make sure he was going to finish that game defensively, and sure enough, he went deep. It’s one of those things that happen throughout the course of the year.”
From May 30 going into Saturday, Soto leads the majors in runs (35) and OBP (.473), and is tied for third with 14 homers.
Despite that, Soto continues to shrug off not being an All Star. “It’s really tough to get in,” he said, quipping: “Next time I’m just going to try harder and see what I can do.”
Marte on the upswing
Starling Marte (knee) took live batting practice Saturday. He remains on track to return after the All-Star break.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
