PITTSBURGH (AP) — New York Mets pitcher Griffin Canning had surgery on Friday to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon and will miss the remainder of the season and possibly part of 2026.
Canning was injured during Thursday night’s 4-0 win over Atlanta while coming off the mound to field a grounder. Signed to a $4.25 million, one-year contract as a free agent in the offseason, the 29-year-old right-hander was 7-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts as he bolstered an injury-depleted rotation.
Canning has had a turnaround season. Last year, with the Los Angeles Angels, he went 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 32 games.
“He is a guy that had a hard year last year and put in a lot of work in the offseason,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We signed him, and he was very open to the information and the feedback and everything we had to offer. And for him to not just take the information but actually going out there and executing and having the year that he had, he was pretty consistent for us.”
Third baseman Mark Vientos was reinstated from the 10-day injured list before Friday’s series opener at Pittsburgh, left-handed reliever Colin Poche’s contract was selected from Triple-A Syracuse and right-hander Blake Tidwell was recalled from Triple-A.
Right-hander Austin Warren and infielder Jared Young were optioned to Triple-A.
Tidwell will take Canning’s place in the rotation for at least one turn. The rookie is expected to start next Wednesday in Milwaukee, though Mendoza would not commit to the 24-year-old beyond that start.
Tidwell made his major-league debut on May 4 and went 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA in two starts. He pitched in 13 games with Syracuse and had a 4-4 record and 4.76 ERA.
Vientos had been out since June 3 with a right hamstring strain. He is hitting .230 with six home runs in 51 games after belting 27 home runs last season and five more in the postseason as the Mets reached the National League Championship Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Brent Baty had been getting most of the starts at third base while Vientos was sidelined. The Mets also decided to keep infielder Ronny Mauricio, a rookie hitting .226 with three homers in 18 games. Mauricio is ranked as the Mets’ fourth-best prospect by Baseball America.
“Mauricio can provide some versatility, and I like the way he has been playing for us of late,” Mendoza said. “We feel there are going to be enough at-bats for him here to keep him on the roster.”
Poche, 31, began the season with Washington but was released on May 5 after having an 11.42 ERA in 13 relief appearances. The Mets signed him two days later, and his ERA was 7.11 in 12 games at Syracuse.
Left-hander Richard Lovelady declined his outright assignment to Triple-A and became a free agent. Outfielder José Azócar accepted his assignment to Syracuse after clearing waivers.
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AP MLB:
John Perrotto, The Associated Press
