Edwin Diaz to undergo surgery to repair patellar tendon

Diaz will likely miss the entire season following an injury sustained during Team Puerto Rico's post-game celebration in Miami on Wednesday

There will be no trumpets at Citi Field in 2023.

On Thursday, the Mets learned RHP Edwin Díaz will need surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee, Mets GM Billy Eppler told reporters in Port St. Lucie.

He will undergo surgery this afternoon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Per Eppler, the recovery timeline is approximately eight months, meaning Díaz will likely miss the entire season.

Díaz injured his knee in the World Baseball Classic during a post-game celebration following Team Puerto Rico’s 5-2 win over the Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park in Miami on Wednesday. He was taken off the field in a wheelchair, then examined by team physicians who told Eppler all signs pointed to a patellar tendon injury. Diagnostic imaging confirmed the diagnosis on Thursday.

Eppler said such an injury occurs when force is applied to the knee, although Eppler did not elaborate on what specifically happened during the celebration.

Where the Mets go from here to find a closer in 2023 is unclear.

Their in-house options could include Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, David Robertson, or a combination of the three. This could also open the door for players such as Stephen Ridings or other non-roster invitees to make the team as well. In addition, the Mets are also attending another showcase for LHP Zach Britton today, according to SNY.

No matter which direction the club turns, the task to replace Díaz in their bullpen is next to impossible as the Mets took a devastating blow to their championship outlook in 2023. And for Díaz, a long road between surgery today and his next competitive pitch lies ahead, which is now more than a year away.

Díaz, 28, posted a career-best 1.31 ERA over 62 innings in 2022 along with 32 saves with 118 strikeouts over62 innings, striking out 50% of opposing batters to help him earn a new five-year, $102 million contract from the Mets during the off-season, a record amount for a closer.