( 4UMF NEWS ) Johan Santana Out For Season:
Johan Santana will not pitch for the Mets again this season.
An MRI exam Monday showed inflammation in the ace lefthander’s lower back. General manager Sandy Alderson said he will be placed on the 15-day disabled list and “we do not expect him to pitch the rest of the season.”
The back issue is not one that requires surgery, Alderson said. He is prescribed rest, medication and intermittent exercise.
Collin McHugh was called up to start on Thursday in Santana’s scheduled spot.
In his first season back since missing all of 2011 because of shoulder surgery, Santana is 6-9 with a 4.85 ERA. He pitched well in the first half and threw the franchise’s first no-hitter on June 1 against the Cardinals. At that point he was 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 11 starts. Since then he has not pitched well and has done a stint on the disabled list with a sprained right ankle.
He made two starts since coming off the DL — pitching to a 19.89 ERA — and felt stiffness in his back during them. He also felt it on Monday after a bullpen session, told Mets medical staff about it and the MRI was arranged.
Over the weekend, the Mets had discussed shutting Santana down for the rest of the season — with eye toward having him at full strength for spring training next season — and decided not to. Santana had said he wanted to keep pitching and though the Mets saw little value for him to continue in this lost season, they agreed he should keep pitching though on a strict pitch count.
Other than the back issue, Santana is healthy. There is no issue with his shoulder. “There is no issue with his ankle,” Alderson said. “With a back problem and continuing to pitch, that could lead to a problems with the shoulder of the ankle or an elbow and (it’s) another reason we’re trying to be cautious with this.”
