Mets right-handed pitcher Dillon Gee had surgery on Tuesday to remove a blood clot from his pitching shoulder, and has been placed on the 15-day DL by the Mets, reports The New York Times.
The blood clot isn't considered career-threatening, but the rest of Gee's season is now in doubt. After a bit of a rough start, Gee had settled into his role in the Mets rotation, and had been pitching well. While he won only one of his five June starts, Gee posted a 3.90 ERA, and struck out 32 batters in 32.1 innings pitched. In July, Gee was 1-1, with a 1.93 ERA in two starts. His start last Saturday against the Cubs was one of his best; he went eight innings, gave up seven hits and one run, and walked no batters for only the second time this season. Gee's 1.6 fWAR was second on the Mets' pitching staff, tied with Johan Santana, and only bested by All-Star R.A. Dickey.
This is the second serious injury for Gee; he missed a significant amount of time in 2009 with a torn labrum in his right arm.
In the short term, Gee's injury might make the Mets more active at the deadline, as they look to replace him in the rotation. For now, Miguel Batista, now better known for his poetry than his pitching, will take Gee's spot. The Mets haven't haven't yet called anybody up, but look for them to summon a reliever, according to manager Terry Collins.
If the Mets can't find starting pitching help on the trade market, internal options are to promote Zack Wheeler, acquired last year for Carlos Beltran, who is performing admirably with Double-A Binghampton, or Matt Harvey, who is 7-4 in 18 starts with Triple-A Buffalo, with a 3.39 ERA, and 102 strikeouts in 98 innings pitched. With the Mets losing Gee, "the time and circumstances, then, appear to be right to give Harvey a shot," writes John Harper in the New York Daily News.
However, it's known that GM Sandy Alderson doesn't want to rush any of his young pitching talent, so it's 41-year-old Batista. For now.
