Mets say Noah Syndergaard's Tommy John surgery went as expected
Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard walks to the dugout after giving up four runs in the top of the fourth inning to the Dodgers in a game at Citi Field on Sept. 13, 2019. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Noah Syndergaard’s Tommy John surgery, deemed an essential operation at a time when mass numbers of surgeries are being postponed due to the global coronavirus pandemic, went as expected on Thursday, a Mets official said Friday.
The Mets righthander needed the surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, discovered this month after Syndergaard felt “discomfort” before spring training was put on an indefinite pause, the team said Tuesday. With a year-plus of rehabilitation up next, Syndergaard likely will return in the middle of the 2021 season — after which he is scheduled to be a free agent.
Dr. David Altchek, the Mets’ medical director, performed the operation in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
In addition to the torn UCL, Syndergaard also was dealing with “acute compression of his ulnar nerve,” according to a Mets official.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently banned elective surgeries in an effort to save medical supplies while the state and country grapples with the COVID-19 outbreak. There is no formal definition of what an essential operation is, however, leaving it in the hands of hospitals and doctors. The Hospital for Special Surgery lists on its website ligament and nerve issues among its surgeries deemed essential.
“This condition fits the essential surgery guidelines," a Mets official said.
Notes: The Mets, like teams across baseball, continued their mid-hiatus cuts from major league spring training, optioning relievers Paul Sewald and Daniel Zamora to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday. Last week, the Mets optioned reliever Tyler Bashlor, shortstop Andres Gimenez and catcher Ali Sanchez.
