Jose Quintana has a lesion in the rib

port st. LUCY, FL — After more than a week of tests, medical opinions, and doctor’s consultations, including a period when Jose Quintana feared a life-changing diagnosis, the Mets have an answer and an action plan for treating the sick starter. condition.

General manager Billy Eppler said Tuesday that Quintana will undergo a bone graft to repair a stress fracture in his rib and will not return to the Majors until at least July. The left-hander has a benign lesion on his rib, which became the primary factor behind his decision to have surgery instead of the more conservative course. While Quintana’s absence will weaken the Mets’ roster, team officials are relieved the news couldn’t have been worse.

“It took on a human element,” said Eppler. “This was bigger than baseball. Jose had our support and whatever he needed, but I’m really thankful that at least we’re here as opposed to one of the other possible outcomes.”

The best case scenario for Quintana, according to Eppler, would be a return to the Majors after July 1. He is scheduled to undergo the operation on Friday.

“This was a situation that could have turned out to be a bad place for him and his family,” GM said. “I will always put that on top of everything.”

After Quintana left a game on March 5 due to discomfort in his midsection, the Mets diagnosed him with a stress fracture of the fifth rib of his left side. An orthopedist later discovered a lesion in the area, prompting the Mets to send Quintana to New York for a biopsy and further testing. Although the biopsy did not reveal anything malignant, the medical recommendation shifted to surgery rather than a more conservative approach to rest and treatment.

Quintana’s bone graft provides a clearer and healthier prognosis in the long term. The decision was made Tuesday morning in consultation with Epler, principal Buck Showalter, his agent and his medical team.

“It’s a bit of a surgery involved,” Eppler said. “When you do bone grafts, they’re going to hurt. That’s why it’s hard to put an exact timeline, but in any of the calendars we’ve looked at in pencil, they all skew after July 1.”

Quintana’s exact return date will depend on how quickly he can resume physical activity, and eventually baseball activities, after the operation. Even when he’s healthy, Quintana will need at least a month’s condensation period to get back outside for a start.

“We think we’ve got our arms around him and we’ve got a good approach to him,” Showalter said. “I think he appreciates the subtlety of it.”

Quintana was not available for comment on Tuesday.

From 2013-19, Quintana was one of the most prolific starters in MLB, averaging 32 starts and 192 2/3 innings per season. He made three trips to IL over the next two years due to thumb, back and shoulder injuries, but bounced back last season to have a career year between the Pirates and Cardinals. That was enough for the Mets to sign him to a two-year, $26 million contract, making him their fourth starter.

As long as Quintana is sidelined, the Mets will rely on someone else to spin alongside Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Koday Singa and Carlos Carrasco. The two most obvious choices for the team are David Peterson and Tylor Megill, who combined to make 28 starts last season and both are off to solid starts this spring.

Peterson threw four scoreless innings on Tuesday in a 5-0 loss to the Nationals and hasn’t allowed a hit in more than eight innings in the Grapefruit League. Miguel threw four scoreless innings on Monday against the Marlins to narrow his ERA for the Grapefruit League to 1.08.

“It’s upsetting to see one of your teammates back down with that, and I hope he gets back up as soon as he can,” Peterson said. “But I think that was kind of the thing that it was always the front office and the coaching staff wanted to start deep in the field, and they made it a priority. So that’s where it’s helpful to have guys to choose from.”

Options further down the list include Joey Lucchesi, Eliezer Hernandez and Jose Boto. All of them have grown in importance now that Quintana has been missing for so long.

“There’s a reason we go out and try to build as much depth as possible,” said Eppler. “I think there are eight, nine, ten starting pitchers on our depth chart that have been shown at the major league level. That’s why depth. You’re trying to navigate a 162-game season in 183 days? You want to be in a position to navigate through the course.” in its entirety.”