Mets' minor league pitcher Thomas Szapucki picks up steam in return from Tommy John surgery

Thomas Szapucki is finally starting to feel like himself again.

After more than a season away from the game while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the lefthander said he’s settling back into a rhythm, including five innings of no-run, nine-strikeout ball for Advanced-A St. Lucie on July 22.

It was Szapucki’s longest outing since returning from injury and while the journey back has been a difficult one, he said he never doubted he’d get there.

“It’s having the goal of becoming a big leaguer,” said Szapucki, who is No. 14 in the Mets MLB Prospect Pipeline. “If you’re just here to make money and not for the love of the game, then I don’t know how you’d deal with those big setbacks.”

Szapucki, the No. 149 overall selection by the Mets in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB Draft, quickly drew a spotlight after making his debut. He split his 2016 between Rookie League Kingsport and Short-A Brooklyn, boasting a 1.38 ERA in 52 innings, allowing 26 hits, 20 walks and striking out 86.

He didn’t slow down in 2017. In six starts with Low-A Columbia, Szapucki posted a 2.79 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, but then noticed tightness in his left forearm.

Szapucki needed Tommy John surgery and, suddenly, the road to the big leagues looked far longer than he originally expected.

“It’s not something you can really prep for,” said Szapucki, who missed all of 2018 with the injury. “It’s just one pitch and it blows out and then you have to re-evaluate from there.”

This wasn’t Szapucki’s first brush with injury — he had a back issue in 2016 and a shoulder impingement in 2017 — but said returning from Tommy John forced him to re-examine his rehab approach. He worked on keeping his expectations realistic every time he picked up a ball, battling both his impatience and his body’s limits.

“I’d throw 10, 15 pitches and I was like ‘I can’t really feel my forearm.’ I didn’t have that strength and longevity I used to have,” Szapucki said. “It’s been trial and error. Stuff that used to work doesn’t work now and it was re-evaluating a whole new plan on how to go about recovery and training.”

And while Szapucki admitted that the slow pace was frustrating, he added that he’s starting to see the payoff in his stat line. Szapucki was on a strict innings-limit to open the season, throwing 21 2/3 in Columbia, but put them to good use, posting a 2.08 ERA and allowing 14 hits, 10 walks and striking out 26.

It’s been even better in St. Lucie. Szapucki has stretched his innings in each of his four starts and said the recent five-inning performance felt like a huge step forward.

“It’s been awesome, honestly,” Szapucki said. “I’m starting to get the pitches back to where they used to be. If I get them back there, they’re looking close, I’m confident I can get anyone out and get the strikeouts I used to.”

The last thing Szapucki wants to do is get too far ahead of himself, but he said he’s still got big plans for his future. He’s worked hard to get back and, now that he’s here, the only thing Szapucki wants is to keep pitching.

“My goal is to pitch the whole season,” he said. “Maybe get on the 40-man this year, big league camp next year and knocking on the door. That’s where I’m thinking right now.”