MLB

Parnell: 50-50 chance I’ll need elbow surgery

Injured Mets closer Bobby Parnell said team doctors told him there’s a 50-50 chance he will need season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Parnell went on the disabled list Wednesday, and has been told to rest for two weeks. He said he might decide on having Tommy John surgery when the two weeks are up — before he finishes his four-week throwing program, and perhaps even before he starts it — because the surgery has a 10- to 14-month recovery time.

“I want to make sure if I do have surgery I give myself the best bet to get back for next year and have the recovery time,” Parnell said prior to the Mets’ 8-2 loss to the Nationals on Thursday.

Parnell has a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament but since it is in the thicker part of the ligament, he has been led to believe it might heal without surgery. He had platelet-rich-plasma therapy, a process in which blood is spun in a centrifuge and then injected into the injured body part to spur healing.

“They felt like I had a good chance of coming back from it from where the tear is. They’re going to try it. If it doesn’t work, then the surgery is there. If it does work, then continue pitching,’’ said Parnell. “It’s a relatively new treatment, and they’re fairly optimistic that it can work.”

Parnell had season-ending neck surgery last year, and wants to be 100 percent for the 2015 season if he needs ligament-replacement surgery.

“Last year I rehabbed it, because I felt like I had time to try to rehab it. If I need to have surgery, it’s a 10- to 14-month process for recovery. I’ve got to make a wiser decision in a more timely manner,’’ said Parnell. “I feel like I obviously have a couple of weeks to see if this thing works or not. Ultimately, I’m going to have to make a fairly quick decision on what I want to do.”


Chris Young left Wednesday’s loss with a right quad injury, calling the start to his Mets tenure “a bad dream.” On Thursday it became a nightmare when the outfielder went on the 15-day disabled list, giving him one more DL stint than official at-bats during his Flushing career.

“I don’t think it’s anything severe,’’ manager Terry Collins said before Thursday’s game against Washington.

“I do believe he caught it in time. He just said it grabbed on him. I mean, he could jog off the field. He didn’t have to come out immediately, so I don’t think it’s going to last more than [15 days].’’

After getting a one-year, $7.25 million contract from the Mets this offseason, Young hit .310 this spring. But after straining his right quadriceps last weekend at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Young missed the Opening Day loss to the Nationals.

He returned to the lineup Wednesday, but aggravated the injury chasing a foul ball and was forced to leave the game after just one inning.