Jed Lowrie’s Mets career could be over before it began

Jed Lowrie as suited up nine games for the New York Mets, and that may be all they get out of him.

The New York Mets signed second baseman Jed Lowrie to a two-year, $20 million deal before the 2019 season, with the idea he had put an injury-prone label behind him with 310 games played the prior two seasons. But a left knee injury sidelined him until September last year, and he only played nine games with four strikeouts in eight plate appearances.

The knee issue lingered into 2020 for Lowrie. It seemed to evolve into a broader issue with his left leg, and any optimism about his ability to play faded. He was put on the 10-day IL on July 20, and just past that window to return, the news has gotten worse.

On Sunday, according multiple reports, the Mets placed Lowrie on the 45-day IL. As Zach Braziller of the New York Post added, Lowrie’s IL stint is backdated to July 20. So he could return in early September, but it doesn’t feel likely.

Just a few days ago, Mets’ general manager Brodie Van Wagenen offered a very interesting diagnosis of what Lowrie is dealing with.

It’s safe to say “laxity” is a new injury term for most people, and it’s certainly doesn’t seem like a good thing when talking about a knee ligament. The cartoonish mental pictures for what a “lax” ligament looks like on the inside or around a knee feel endless.

But in all seriousness, Lowrie appears to be dealing with a major issue on top of what he he has already been experiencing in his left knee or leg. The $20 million the Mets will pay him for this year and last is a sunk cost, even if he played some this season. But Lowrie’s career might be over, even if surgery can fix the “laxity” in his PCL.