WASHINGTON — Dillon Gee would love to rejoin the Mets this season, but isn’t making any promises.
The Mets pitcher was discharged from a St. Louis hospital on Monday, three days following surgery to repair an artery in his right shoulder, after doctors had dissolved a blood clot earlier in the week. Though it’s possible Gee could resume throwing within six weeks, he isn’t going to rush.
“Obviously I’m not trying to jeopardize the rest of my career just to get back this year,” Gee said yesterday on a conference call before the Mets fell to the Nationals, 5-4 in 10 innings. “But if I feel good, I would love to finish the year throwing again.”
Gee said 96 percent of the artery was blocked and he could have faced severe muscle and tissue damage if he didn’t undergo surgery.
“I think that’s something I’m having trouble dealing with, the fact that I keep asking all these doctors, ‘Am I OK, am I unhealthy?’ ” Gee said. “They all say that’s not it, that has nothing to do with what happened — I’m as healthy as any other kid, 26 year old [athlete] should be.
“The rest of my body is very healthy — it was just a freak thing that happens to some pitchers. I was unlucky in that regard that the repetitive motion of pitching kind of [damaged] that artery and a clot formed, it was more of a traumatic clot and acute clot than it was just being unhealthy.”
The right-hander said he had experienced occasional numbness in his middle finger since 2010, but never thought too much of it until he had trouble raising his arm following his July 7 start against the Cubs.
“Right now I feel good,” Gee said. “All the symptoms are gone, so that’s a positive. It’s been a long week for me. This thing kind of came out of the blue and hit me really fast.”
* Lucas Duda received a cortisone shot in his sore left hamstring on Monday and was absent from the starting lineup for a third straight game. Duda indicated he expects to be back in right field tonight. He could return to the bench tomorrow when the Mets face lefty Gio Gonzalez, as manager Terry Collins wants to continue playing Scott Hairston against lefties.
* Jason Bay went 0-for-3 batting fifth in his return to the lineup, and was removed in the ninth inning for a pinch hitter. He spent a month on the disabled list following his second concussion in three years. To make room on the roster, infielder Omar Quintanilla was designated for assignment.