Yoenis Cespedes out for the year after undergoing right ankle surgery
NEW YORK -- It's officially another lost year for Yoenis Cespedes.
The slugger underwent right ankle surgery Thursday to repair the multiple fractures in his right ankle that he suffered after stepping into a hole at his ranch in Florida, according to the version of events he told the team.
Cespedes will go the entire season without appearing in a game.
The Mets awarded Cespedes a four-year, $110-million deal following the 2016 season, and it has the potential to go down as one of the worst in MLB history.
Cespedes, 33, has played in just 119 games since signing that contract. He played in 81 games in 2017, and only 38 last year, appearing last on July 20, 2018.
He underwent surgery on each of his ankles last year, and recently had started his running progression. The most optimistic timelines had Cespedes returning during the summer although there were plenty of folks who were skeptical he would return.
The team revealed Monday that Cespedes had suffered multiple fractures after stepping into a hole on his ranch.
“It was not a fall from a horse,” Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Monday, “and it was a non-baseball related activity.”
The Mets are paying Cespedes $29 million this year although they receive a significant portion of that money back due to the insurance policy they have on the deal. However, the team does not just reinvest all the money it saves from the policy into the roster since the team has to pay for the policy.
Cespedes has one year remaining on his deal.
