DENVER -- Reliever A.J. Minter’s rehabilitation from a 13-month-old lat tear, which had been scheduled to end in a matter of days, is now set to continue indefinitely.
Minter reported a bout of left hip discomfort following his most recent Minor League outing on May 3, prompting the Mets to take him off his rehab assignment. That assignment had been set to expire on Friday, meaning the team would have needed to activate Minter at some point this weekend.
Instead, Minter will rest for a few days before restarting a throwing program. If all goes well, he could progress rapidly from there. But that’s no guarantee, as the Mets now have a fresh 30-day rehab clock to play with.
Although Minter underwent labrum surgery on the same hip in 2024, manager Carlos Mendoza said the Mets are not overly worried about this latest development.
“He’s not too concerned,” Mendoza said, “but the fact that he reported it, we’re doing that.”
Minter, 32, pitched just 11 innings for the Mets last season before tearing his left lat on April 26 and undergoing surgery. His rehabilitation from that operation has been lengthy; when Minter reported to 2026 Spring Training, Mets trainers drew up a plan to bring him along slower than other relievers. The goal was for Minter to be ready by late April or early May.
On paper, Minter’s rehab had seemed like a success, as he posted a 1.17 ERA over eight Minor League appearances. But the left-hander’s velocity lagged in the low-90s throughout April, a couple ticks below where he is used to pitching. Last time out for Triple-A Syracuse, Minter topped out at 91.9 mph. Mendoza said he wasn’t sure if the hip discomfort had any effect on Minter’s velocity.
“There were days where we saw the velo 92, 93, a couple of 94s,” Mendoza said. “But I don’t know. I will have to talk to him personally. I will have to talk to the trainers.”
To date, the Mets have received almost no return on the two-year, $22 million investment they made in Minter prior to last season. Before joining the Mets, Minter had established himself as one of the top left-handed relievers in the game, producing a 3.28 ERA over seven years with the Braves while holding lefty hitters to a .602 OPS.
With Minter absent, the Mets will continue to rely on Brooks Raley as their primary left-hander of the bullpen. While Sean Manaea is another lefty option, the Mets have mostly used him in low-leverage spots.