NEW YORK -- What seemed like just a poor outing for Austin Warren turned out to have been caused by injury. A night after Warren gave up five runs in a 16-12 loss to the Royals, the Mets placed him on the injured list with a right forearm strain. An MRI taken on Wednesday revealed no ligament damage, according to a source, which should allow Warren to avoid surgery.
“I’ve had Tommy John [surgery] before,” an emotional Warren said before hearing his test results. “Obviously, I don’t want to have it again. I hope it’s not serious. Hopefully, it’s just some inflammation from throwing a lot lately.”
Asked earlier Wednesday about his level of concern, Warren sighed and said: “It’s definitely a 10. It’s the elbow. That’s my bread and butter.”
To replace Warren on the active roster, the Mets called up two other relievers, Xzavion Curry and Tobias Myers, while also designating rookie Matt Seelinger for assignment.
Although Warren suffered no ligament damage, the next steps for him are not yet clear. Warren underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 while with the Angels organization and did not return for 17 months. After the Mets scooped him up prior to the 2025 season, he began thriving for them as an optionable reliever, producing a 2.13 ERA over 29 Major League outings through the end of this June.
But Warren struggled mightily last Saturday in Atlanta, then again on Tuesday night against the Royals, allowing nine earned runs in those two outings -- as many as he had given up in his previous 24 appearances combined. Interim manager Andy Green said that Warren had trouble “ripping his sweeper” in the way he is accustomed.
“I haven’t felt great the last couple,” Warren said on Wednesday. “Obviously, that’s part of the game these days. I had outings earlier in the year that I haven’t felt great that went better than last night. But last night, I just threw a pitch -- I don’t know what pitch number it was, but it just didn’t feel great. I came right in and told them right away."
Warren, 30, is under team control for three more seasons after this one. He will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter.
"He has been so good for us in so many ways," Green said. "I know the outing [Tuesday] left a really tough taste in his mouth, and then you couple that with kind of the arm health, and it’s a stressful time for a guy."