Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on Friday returned to the lineup for the first time since May 13, when a strained hip flexor sidelined him. He hit a solo home run in the win over the Yankees (NYM 7, NYY 5), but afterward Cespedes shed some light on some long-term health concerns ...
Cespedes says that the cause of his medical issues is calcification in both heels. He says the only way to fix the issue is surgery. He’s considering it for the off-season, but the recovery time is apparently 8-10 months.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) July 21, 2018
That's not good news for a player who's played in at least 140 games just twice in seven major-league seasons. While he's quite productive when healthy (125 OPS+ for his career), he's all too often not healthy. If he indeed undergoes surgery this coming offseason and his timeline is accurate, then he'll miss most of 2019.
In addition to losing his production, another concern for the Mets is that Cespedes after this season will still have almost $60 million left on his contract. At age 32, Cespedes figures to continue battling injuries even if he's able to put these serious heel issues behind him.
