NEW YORK (AP) — Struggling Mets reliever Edwin Díaz was activated from the injured list on Thursday, and New York manager Carlos Mendoza reiterated that Díaz will return to the closer role.
“I talked to him a couple of days ago and he’s ready to go,” Mendoza said before the Mets hosted Miami to conclude a three-game series. “There’s no hesitation. (He said), ‘I’m ready to go.’ So it was an easy conversation.”
Díaz had been sidelined since May 29 with a right shoulder impingement. Before going on the IL, he blew three consecutive save chances and four out of five opportunities.
He also squandered a four-run lead in the ninth inning on May 18 at Miami and was not charged with a blown save.
Following the meltdown against the Marlins, he was not used for four games until pitching a scoreless seventh on May 24 against San Francisco. He blew a save the following day.
After missing last season with a knee injury he sustained celebrating Puerto Rico’s victory in the World Baseball Classic, Díaz is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA and five saves in 20 opportunities.
The Mets entered Thursday with a bullpen ERA of 3.72 and have converted 15 of 26 save opportunities.
“He means a lot and when he’s rolling you can feel it,” Mendoza said. “It’s just really good to have him back and we’re all excited about it.”
Díaz, a two-time All-Star, was baseball’s most dominant closer in 2022, striking out 118 batters in 62 innings while saving 32 games for New York and finishing with a 1.31 ERA.
He re-signed with the Mets on a $102 million, five-year contract but then had surgery on the patellar tendon in his right knee.
The Mets optioned Danny Young to clear room for Díaz. Young was 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in nine games and made seven appearances while Díaz was injured.
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