NEW YORK (AP) — Edwin Díaz will go right back into the closer role with the New York Mets when he returns from the injured list Thursday.
The struggling reliever has been sidelined since May 29 with a right shoulder impingement. Before going on the IL, he blew three straight save chances and four out of five — which didn’t even include a May 18 meltdown in Miami when he squandered a four-run lead in the ninth inning but wasn’t charged with a blown save.
“For us to make a run at this, we’re going to need Díaz to be Edwin Díaz,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday before a 10-4 victory over Miami. “We’ve been trying to piece it together for the past month or so. He feels good physically and mentally, so comfortable with him going back to the closer spot.”
After missing last season because of a knee injury, Díaz is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA and five saves in 20 appearances — a far cry from his dominant performance on the mound in 2022.
Following his flop against the Marlins, the Mets went four games without using Díaz before he was summoned in the seventh inning May 24 versus San Francisco. He struck out two in a scoreless inning, then blew a save chance the following day when he wasted a one-run lead in the ninth inning of a loss to the Giants.