Mets' Trevor May shut down with stress reaction in right arm
Mets relief pitcher Trevor May reacts after Atlanta score two runs during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game at Citi Field on Monday, May 2, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It’s going to be June – or even July – for Trevor May.
Imaging on May’s pitching arm showed a stress reaction on the lower part of his humerus that’s caused inflammation in the area, the Mets announced Wednesday, and the reliever will have to be shut down for at least four weeks to rest the area. May will get further imaging on his right arm after the four weeks, with the best-case scenario meaning a return in eight to 12 weeks, May said.
“I’m optimistic,” May said. “I know how I heal. When I had Tommy John surgery, I didn’t have a setback the entire time.”
May missed time in April with what was believed to be a “low-grade” triceps strain, but after allowing two runs to Atlanta on Monday, the reliever, who was up to an 8.64 ERA, said something didn’t feel right. He received an MRI the next day.
“It helps,” having an answer, May said. “The way that relievers are, we’re never out there like, ‘Oh, my arm feels great today.’ It’s always a spectrum. The last thing you want is to go out there and three pitches in [saying] I don’t feel great…You’re out there and you’re like, ‘Am I just bad?’ or is it that I’m just not who I can be right now…”
“Knowing there’s something you need to fix in order to move forward and actually provide value to your teammates and this team” helps, he said. May said he planned to stay around the team as much as possible, because he doesn’t want to be detached from what he called a “special group.”
The shortened spring could have played a factor in the injury, he said, but as long as the imaging is clean after four weeks, May believes he’ll be able to make a quick turnaround.
“I’m excited to go to Phase 2 (after the second round of imaging) and start loading the arm and get ready to throw,” he said. “That’s something that I enjoy. When I ramp up, I can ramp up quick.”
Added Buck Showalter: May is “a piece that we were counting on that won’t be with us but it’s a great opportunity, an opportunity that will present itself for Drew Smith and we’ve got some people down there [in the minors] that we think can help us.”
Jerseys for Jankowski
A Tuesday night clip of Travis Jankowski saying that people weren’t interested in his jersey went viral – as did the demand for Jankowski merchandise (there’s currently no way to buy a Jankowski jersey on the Mets official site). “No one's gonna be buying my jersey,” Jankowski said genially after a strong day at the plate and on the basepaths. “But I still think there's a big part of what I bring to the table that is very important and very needed to winning teams and championship teams, and that's what we have in this clubhouse.”
Jankowski Wednesday said he was shocked by the fan reaction (the clip has nearly 6,000 likes and over 400 replies, many clamoring for a jersey), and said he got numerous messages about it.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
