WASHINGTON -- To date, Jorge Polanco has appeared in just 14 games for the Mets. For the past month, he has been on the injured list due to a bout of left Achilles bursitis.
Although team officials don’t have much more clarity on Polanco’s situation than they did when he landed on the IL, firmer answers could come soon. Late last week, Polanco entered a strengthening phase of his rehab. The hope is that he can begin a Minor League rehab assignment in about a week or so, at which point the Mets will gauge his ability to play effectively through discomfort.
Currently, the 32-year-old Polanco has good days and bad days. While it’s possible his pain could dissipate entirely, he and Mets officials are bracing for the possibility that it will linger all season.
“They explained to me it’s going to be painful,” Polanco said. “It’s tolerance of pain right now. So I’m just getting to a point where I can work it out and get it strong so I can play.”
If Polanco proves incapable of playing through discomfort, he may need to undergo an operation to shave down his inflamed bursal tissue, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. While that type of procedure wouldn’t necessarily end Polanco’s season, it would keep him sidelined for weeks if not months. And it’s possible that if Polanco goes under the knife, doctors could realize he needs a more invasive procedure that would immobilize him even longer.
Those are the worst-case scenarios. A better outcome for Polanco would mean successfully playing through pain before healing completely over the offseason. That’s also a plausible course of events.
“I feel like I will be able to do it,” Polanco said. “A lot of players play through something. Nobody’s 100 percent. I’m a big believer in that. If I can tolerate it, I think I’m going to be all right.”
For now, the Mets will wait and see how Polanco responds to his strengthening program. While Polanco has been performing daily baseball activities, including batting practice, team officials believe another week of strengthening will increase his chances of success on a rehab assignment. He recently received a platelet-rich plasma injection, which can take weeks if not months to deliver its full effect.
Part of the difficulty is that Polanco’s injury is rare for baseball players. Team officials have consulted with about a half dozen doctors in search of answers. Opinions on his situation have varied, though one piece of good news is that Polanco is not at a heightened risk of a full Achilles tear.
The club has significant incentive to get this right. Not only were the Mets counting on Polanco to be a major part of their offensive attack this season, but he also remains under guaranteed contract for next year after signing a two-year, $40 million deal last December. Polanco is coming off a 26-homer campaign with the Mariners but had just a .179/.246/.286 slash line for the Mets before landing on the IL.
“We’ve still got time, I think,” he said. “It takes time for the PRP to heal. Hopefully it gets way better here in the next couple days.”