The Mets now have more medical controversies this offseason than significant additions to the roster.
J.J. Putz is the latest dissatisfied customer, claiming he did not receive a physical after the Mets traded for him last winter, even though the Mariners had previously detected a bone spur in the reliever’s right elbow.
Putz, who recently signed with the White Sox, made the comments during a recent interview with Comcast SportsNet in Chicago.
“[The bone spur] was discovered the previous year in Seattle, and it never got checked out by any other doctors until I got to spring training [with the Mets], and the spring training physical is kind of a formality,” Putz told the network.
“It was bugging me all through April, and in May I got an injection. It just got to the point where I couldn’t pitch. I couldn’t throw strikes, my velocity was way down.”
There is some ambiguity regarding a statement Putz made later in the interview when he said the toughest part of the ordeal was, “having to face the media and tell them that you feel fine, even though you know there’s something wrong and they don’t want you telling them that you’re banged up.”
That could be interpreted as Putz saying the Mets told him to hide the injury from the media.
Or Putz could have meant the media did not want to hear about injuries as an excuse for poor performance.
The reliever could not be reached yesterday for a clarification. The Mets deny they told Putz to keep quiet. The team also issued a statement denying wrongdoing.
“We were aware that [Putz] had a bone spur before the trade,” the statement said.
“He had the same condition in 2008 and was able to pitch with it. J.J. underwent an exam during spring training and an additional exam and MRI before he was cleared to play in last year’s WBC [World Baseball Classic]. Unfortunately, the spur did flare up again in May and he missed the rest of the season.”
The latest Mets medical controversy comes after Carlos Beltran underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last month. The Mets later filed a complaint with MLB and the players’ union, saying Beltran did not have their blessing to undergo the surgery.
Beltran’s agent, Scott Boras, maintains the Mets knew of the plan for surgery and did not object.
Putz underwent surgery in May and was expected to return shortly after the All-Star break, but blew out his elbow during his rehab.
“That was kind of a shock because I never felt any pain in it,” Putz said. “That it’s my career, and when you know something doesn’t feel right, and they want to take these little sidesteps to do something, and just wait and wait and wait, you’ve got to get it taken care of instead of trying to prolong the inevitable.
“It was a mess from the beginning. The entire team was hurt. So, it was kind of like a snowball that kept going, going, going.”