Port ST. LUCIE – As someone who fought to defend against leukemia, Carlos Carrasco can easily notice feelings of tearing his right hamstring.
However, with the veteran right-hander frustrated that he will not start the season in the Mets’ affair, he is set to face rehab over the next several weeks.
“I’ve done a lot and my elbow and my hamstring are nothing to me,” Carrasco said Saturday in Clover Park. “I have been worse with my leukemia. This is nothing to me. “
Carrasco had finished throwing a live batting practice on Thursday – the first time he was faced after a shutdown for elbow discomfort – when he suddenly realized his hamstring pop during the sprint.
Neither Carrasco nor the Mets are providing a timeline for his return, but a source said he would be sideline for at least 6-8 weeks. Carrasco said that this is the first time in his career when he has dealt with a right hamstring issue. In 2016, when he was with the Indians, he was sidelined for five weeks due to a left hand injury.
Carrasco was beginning workouts late this spring to receive additional medical evaluations, and was behind other pitchers in his throwing before he felt elbow discomfort (a symptom he developed in previous camps with the Indians That only briefly erased him).
“I came prepared for spring training,” Carrasco said. “I was working at my house to prepare for spring training. If [the hamstring] Is going to happen, it is going to happen I wish I didn’t feel hurt, but it happened.
The 34-year-old missed her age as a factor.
“Everyone is a human being and if something is going to happen then it’s going to happen, whether you’re in the 10s, 20s, 30s,” he said.
The Mets, who wait to complete the rehab with Seth Lugo and Noah Cinderegard, will dig into the depths of their rotation to fill Carrasco’s spot. Already, manager Luis Rojas has said that David Peterson (who was competing for a job) will likely take a rotation spot for fifth place alongside Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto. Rojas has suggested that the Mets can experiment with an opener if needed.
Carresco went 3-4 for Cleveland with a 2.91 ERA last season at 12. After suffering from leukemia, he was reduced to almost half last season. But he returned in September 2019 to pitch out of the bullpen for the Indians.
The Mets acquired Carrasco in the winter, along with Francisco Lindor, in a trade that sent Andres Giménez, Emad Rosario, Isaiah Green and Josh Wolf to Cleveland.
“[Carrasco] Rose said that we were a very positive person from day one.
“I remember from the first conversation, he talked about competition and winning. … This is a man who is going through a lot of adversity in life and is meant to be an athlete, a professional baseball player that he is, he has been very successful in his career and those battles outside the playground I am also, seeing how he is outstanding every day. “
Rojas noted that Carrasco, two days after tearing the hamstring, was one of the first players to reach the clubhouse on Saturday.
“You can tell how he goes about these kinds of things,” Rojas said. “I am glad that he shared some of his experiences, which were already grappling with big things and the way I was seeing him, is the best way to do it with our medical staff.”
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