Towards the end of January, New York Mets newcomer AJ Minter stated the goal was to be ready for Opening Day, and the hip he had surgery on at the end of 2024 felt good. As the calendar has now flipped to March, Minter has just thrown his first live bullpen session, signaling an approach from the Mets that will be one of patience.
Minter would love to be ready for Opening Day, but the fact that he doesn't appear very close to Grapefruit League action, indicates that wish may not come to fruition. This is the correct approach, as any setback for Minter is a critical blow for a team that has already lost multiple arms this spring.
Minter is the top bullpen option for the Mets outside Edwin Diaz, so pushing him and rolling the dice is inadvisable.
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AJ Minter is critical down the stretch for the Mets
When the Mets inked Minter over the offseason, he immediately slotted in as the setup man behind Diaz, and with his strong track record of success, is an integral part of the team's success this season. Minter owns a 2.62 ERA dating back to 2022, but with an injury issue likely hindering his ability, his underlying metrics, such as a 2.62 ERA, but a 4.45 FIP in 2024, are likely not things you need to worry about.
From 2020-2023, Minter's FIP sat at 2.58, along with an ERA of 149+. He is routinely one of the better relievers in the game, and having a set up of him and Diaz to take the 8th and 9th innings is vital for the Mets during a presumed playoff run this summer. The last thing the Mets need now is to rush Minter, and he will end up missing more time than necessary. The overly cautious approach can be attributed to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas' injury, which has already left the team shorthanded to begin the year.
A fully healthy bullpen will be critical for a Mets postseason run in 2025. Last year, they were overpowered by the strength of the Dodgers bullpen in the NLCS. With a three-headed monster of Minter, Diaz, Jose Butto, and others, this area has been approved in the Big Apple.