Standing a few meters away Edwin Diaz at the Mets clubhouse after Thursday’s 3-2 victory over Miami, it was easy to notice her deep relief and excitement.
“I was playing 99, 100 today,” Diaz said, practically beaming. “I wasn’t doing that at the beginning of the season.”
The equation for the Mets is pretty simple: If Diaz dominates, the team will have a chance to be in the Wild Card race. If he fights, no shots.
When he came off the injured list with a dominant ninth inning, a fastball that touched 100 mph and was 1.4 mph better than his season average, not to mention a slider that had his old bite, he offered the Mets a glimpse of what could still be.
Before the game, I spoke to a rival appraiser who postulated that Diaz’s mechanics were off this year in an apparent attempt to avoid putting pressure on his right knee. Diaz missed the entire 2023 season after injuring his knee in the World Baseball Classic.
Diaz this year was “all arm, like he was trying to protect his knee,” the evaluator said.
After Diaz finished his postgame media briefing, I pulled him aside and asked him about this theory. In rejecting it, Diaz offered an explanation that offered a strong suggestion for future success.
“I think it was another year of inactivity,” Diaz told me. “In spring training I accelerated quickly. Maybe my shoulder was a little tired. I think it was.”
After making four saves in nine attempts this season, he went on the IL on May 29 with a right shoulder injury.
“My shoulder was fine,” he said. “It just looked like he was tired. Heavy – my shoulder felt heavy. The free time helped me.”
The last sentence seemed fundamental: Diaz missed a year, improved quickly, struggled and lost confidence – but then rested. And now he feels better.
He added that tests on his shoulder showed no structural damage. He’s all cleaned up and ready to go.
What about the batsman’s suggestion to use the arm too much and the lower half too little? Could this have caused the shoulder problem?
“No, actually, because my knee was one hundred percent,” Diaz said. “I haven’t had any knee setbacks during rehab or spring training. I think it was the time when I got to spring training and started to accelerate — because I didn’t pitch in the winter. Then I started spring training and started throwing a lot, and maybe my shoulder was a little tired.”
With lighter, sharper shoulders and more confidence, post-IL Diaz returned in a much better position than he was last seen.
For the Mets, this was an even better development than the outright victory.
