NEW YORK -- Left-hander A.J. Minter took the mound Thursday for his first competitive appearance in the last 50 weeks, pitching a scoreless inning with one strikeout for Single-A St. Lucie.
“It’s good to see him ready to go today,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We started the clock, the rehab process now. It’ll be one of those where if we have to use every single day, we will. But the fact that he’s in real competition is a good sign.”
Minter, 32, had not pitched in a competitive atmosphere since tearing his left lat muscle off the bone last April 26. He subsequently underwent surgery and missed the rest of the season.
This spring, Mets officials opted to take things slow with Minter, who did not begin throwing off a mound until March. Minter came to New York for Opening Day festivities, but traveled back to Port St. Lucie, Fla. after that to ramp up his rehab. On Thursday, Minter threw six of his nine pitches for strikes, topping out at 93.5 mph.
Now that he has appeared in a Minor League game, Minter has 30 days to make it back to the Majors. While he may not need “every single day,” as Mendoza put it, Minter isn’t likely to return until late April or early May. At the latest, the Mets must activate him by May 9.
Prior to his lat tear, Minter had established himself as one of the league’s more productive left-handed setup men, particularly during a 2020-24 stretch that saw him produce a 2.85 ERA over 267 appearances for the Braves. Following the 2024 season, the Mets signed Minter to a two-year, $22 million contract. He tore his lat less than a month into that deal.