Ronny Mauricio has a torn ACL, to undergo surgery

Mauricio injured his knee on Sunday during a winter league game in the Dominican Republic

The Mets are going to be without Ronny Mauricio for a long while.

According to SNY, Mauricio has sustained a torn ACL in his knee, and will require surgery to repair.

A timetable for his return isn’t currently known, but a typical timetable for a return could be anywhere between 6-12 months.

For context, Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL on July 10, 2021 and returned on April 28, 2022 a span of nearly 10 months between Major League games.

This is a big blow for both Mauricio and the Mets, who made his big league debut in September and hit .248/.296/.347 in 26 games after hitting .292/.346/.502 with 23 home runs and 71 RBI for Triple-A Syracuse prior to his call up.

Mauricio, 22, primarily played second base for the Mets during his brief September stint, but also saw some time at both second base and shortstop. Last February, then-GM Billy Eppler said the organization was going to keep Mauricio at shortstop in the minors, although they experimented with him at various positions over the course of the season, including 26 appearances in left field.

Mauricio had made five appearances for Licey in the Dominican Winter League before injuring his knee on Sunday, and Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns had hinted that Mauricio would be in the mix with both Brett Baty and Mark Vientos at third base heading into the 2024 season.

That part of the equation will now be on hold.

It remains to be seen how or even if Stearns and co. pivot their off-season agenda in the wake of this news with Mauricio’s knee. Stearns had originally said the club was primarily interested in finding pitching along with an outfielder, but Mauricio’s absence changes the calculus not only at third base, but perhaps at second base as well.

It now remains to be seen if the Mets enter the free agent market for third baseman or if they stay the course and afford an immediate opportunity to both Baty and Vientos to make the team. If they choose to do so, perhaps a reunion with Justin Turner could be a fit for the club, or another stop gap, veteran-type solution.