Mets’ Brooks Raley not close to throwing; will visit another doctor this week
It looks like the Mets will be without a key piece in their bullpen for a bit longer.
Brooks Raley is “not close” to begin throwing again and he will visit another doctor later this week as he continues to deal with elbow inflammation, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said pregame Friday.
“We want to make sure we aren’t missing anything before we take the next step, so he won’t throw until we get more clarification on it,” the first-year skipper said.
Raley appeared to be closing in on a potential return to the team, but they shut him down last week after the inflammation wasn't healing as quickly as both sides had hoped.
There was some speculation in a recent report that Raley could be sidelined for the remainder of the season, but the skipper shot that down saying that it’s still too early to tell.
After a stellar first season in the Big Apple, the 35-year-old recorded eight consecutive scoreless appearances to start this year before suffering the injury.
While Raley is set to miss some more time moving forward, New York could be picking up some reinforcements in the near future.
Drew Smith, who is eligible to return from the injured list, will make another rehab appearance on Saturday afternoon down in Triple-A.
Tylor Megill is also set to make another rehab appearance with Syracuse on Sunday afternoon as he continues working his way back from a shoulder injury.
Mendoza said the goal is for the big right-hander to reach between 75-80 pitches during that outing and then the team will see how he feels from there.
Megill has been terrific across his first three minor leagues appearances, allowing just one run while striking out 17 in 8.2 innings of work.
