Injuries to Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso make Mets depressing season even worse

The New York Mets made their expectations for the 2024 season abundantly clear. They didn't quite have the same World Series or bust expectations that they had entering 2023, but they did expect to at the very least compete for a spot in the postseason. Two months into the season, that has not happened.

They started the season 0-5, but rallied from that start to at one point hold a 12-8 record. Since then, unfortunately, they've gone 10-24 and enter Wednesday's action at 22-32, a season-low ten games under .500. They're 15.0 games out in the NL East and are 6.0 games out of a Wild Card.

Two major reasons why this team has struggled so mightily of late is inconsistent offense and brutal relief pitching. These two things only look worse as Edwin Diaz, their closer, and Pete Alonso, their best power hitter are now injured.

Mets season continues to go downhill with two key injuries

Just before their series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets broke the Edwin Diaz news. He was being placed on the IL with a right shoulder impingement. This is just the latest unfortunate event in what has been a rough return year for Diaz already.

New York's closer was the best reliever in baseball in 2022 but missed all of last season after tearing his ACL. He came back this season expecting to pick up right where he left off, but he looked very rusty from the start and the wheels had fallen off recently.

Diaz had recently lost his hold on the closer role after blowing a couple of saves, and he has a 5.40 ERA in his 20 appearances this season overall. The Mets bullpen has really struggled of late, and it's hard to picture how things get any better without Diaz even with his recent struggles. The only positive thing is it sounds as if his knee is fine, even if an arm injury sounds bad.

As if the Diaz news wasn't bad enough, that wasn't all Mets fans would have to endure. In the first inning of the game against the Dodgers, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso was hit on his hand by a pitch and had to leave the game.

This would be concerning for any player, but for Alonso especially, this is a nightmare. Alonso is a player who rarely ever misses games. He has played in at least 152 games in each of his first four full MLB seasons (excluding 2020). He'd only leave a game if he were seriously injured.

The Mets have struggled enough to score runs with Alonso, their best power hitter, in the lineup every day, and there's a good chance that they'll now have to attempt to do so without him. Just the last thing the Mets needed in what looks like a lost season.