Mets still don't have timeline for Carlos Carrasco three months after his hamstring injury

Veteran RHP came over from Cleveland in Lindor trade but has not made Mets debut yet

Thanks to spring elbow soreness followed by a hamstring injury, veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco has yet to throw a regular season pitch for the New York Mets. Carrasco has been working his way back, but it appears that he's not making enough progress to allow for a timetable. The latest: 

Carlos Carrasco was throwing off the slope of the mound last week.

Now, he is not.

Strengthening his right hamstring remains the focus, Luis Rojas said.

"There is no reinjury or anything like that," Rojas said.

There is no timeline for his return.

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) June 9, 2021

As you can see, the Mets aren't calling it a setback, but it seems fair to characterize what happened as "stalled progress." Given how banged up the Mets are up and down the roster, that's not optimal news. Late last month, Carrasco was reportedly in line for activation in late June or early July, but that may now be too optimistic. Obviously, Carrasco's next throwing session, whenever that might be, will be telling. 

The Mets acquired Carrasco this past offseason as part of the Francisco Lindor blockbuster trade with Cleveland. While Lindor was the focus, Carrasco figured to be a significant upgrade in the rotation behind Jacob deGrom. Carrasco, now 34, has when healthy been one of the most underrated starting pitchers in baseball. Since becoming a permanent fixture in the Cleveland rotation in 2015, Carrasco has put up an ERA+ of 126 with more than 1,000 strikeouts in 870 innings. He also boasts a K/BB ratio of 4.79 over that span. In 2017, Carrasco finished fourth in the AL Cy Young balloting.