NEW YORK — The New York Mets’ beleaguered pitching staff is taking another hit.
The Mets have placed right-handed reliever Austin Warren on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain. An MRI revealed a strain but no significant damage to Warren’s ligament, according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as to freely discuss the matter. That’s a major relief for the reliever, who has already undergone Tommy John surgery once and who earlier on Wednesday labeled his level of concern “definitely a 10.”
The Mets recalled Tobias Myers to take Warren’s spot in the bullpen.
Warren was a revelation for the Mets this season until his latest appearances. He gave up five earned runs, four hits and one walk without recording an out in New York’s 16-12 loss against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Three days earlier, in two innings against the Atlanta Braves, Warren gave up four runs. In 35 innings (26 games), he holds a 4.63 ERA.
Before those two outings, however, Warren’s ERA was 2.45.
Warren’s injury puts the Mets’ bullpen in a further bind before New York even starts selling off pitchers ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. After not making the team out of spring training, Warren emerged as a reliable option in what’s been a relatively strong bullpen. Lefty relievers A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley profile as obvious trade candidates, while others like Luke Weaver could also be on the move.
After using 43 pitchers last season, the Mets have used 26 so far in 2026 (not counting position players).
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Less than two weeks into his recovery from a left hip flexor strain that has bothered him for much of the season, Marcus Semien is optimistic about returning to the lineup and to form.
Semien told The Athletic Tuesday that, before landing on the IL in late June, he had dealt with intermittent tightness in his hip since at least early May. By late June, “it got to the point where sprinting 100 percent was not possible,” Semien said.
“It kept popping up. I’d been playing through it and seeing diminished returns, so we shut it down,” he said.
Semien thinks the injury may be related to the broken foot he endured last year while with the Texas Rangers.
“There were some things I needed to tighten up with my foot and my running form and to strengthen some things,” the 35-year-old said. “Especially at my age now, there’s little things I may have missed this offseason that I’ve really tightened up and I’m feeling really good.
“If you’re compensating somewhere else, you’re going to be lacking in form and I think that’s what happened.”
Semien and the Mets hope the hip issues explain his hitherto subpar season. The veteran is hitting just .214 with a .271 on-base percentage and .341 slugging percentage — all career worsts. Acquired in part because of his elite defense, he’s graded out as below average at second base.
“Whenever you’re playing through something at the highest level, it’s tough,” he said. “It’s tough enough being 100 percent. It was definitely tough on me.”
The Mets haven’t issued a timeline on Semien, though a return this month might be difficult.
“He’s doing everything humanly possible (to get back),” interim manager Andy Green said Tuesday.
Jorge Polanco returned to the Mets’ lineup after nearly three months on the IL with wrist and heel injuries, and doubled and walked in Tuesday’s loss.
“He really lengthened our lineup,” Green said of the switch hitter.
For now, Polanco will exclusively be used as a designated hitter. The Mets haven’t ruled out trying to get him on the field defensively before the end of the season.
Polanco will not play every day at the start of his return, Green said, which leaves the door open for the Mets to play both of their catchers a few days a week. Before Polanco’s return, Francisco Alvarez had been seeing some extra time at DH on days Luis Torrens was behind the plate.
