After a disappointing 75-87 finish in 2023 that saw them nowhere near the playoffs, the New York Mets had shifted their focus to optimism for 2024.
That optimism took a hit on December 12, when 22-year-old shortstop Ronny Mauricio suffered a torn ACL in a Dominican Winter League game.
On Monday, Mauricio had surgery for the injury, the Mets announced.
Medical update on Ronny Mauricio: pic.twitter.com/0ocJvTCFNP
— New York Mets (@Mets) January 3, 2024
“Yesterday, Ronny Mauricio underwent right knee ACL reconstruction surgery performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. A typical return-to-play timeline from this procedure is 8-12 months,” the team said in a statement.
Mauricio had been getting reps at third base in the Dominican League before his injury as he was looking to shift to the position since the Mets have shortstop Francisco Lindor signed through the 2031 season.
Coming into 2023 as the Mets’ fifth-ranked prospect, Mauricio made his MLB debut on September 1 against the Seattle Mariners. In 26 games for the Mets, he hit .249 and a pair of home runs. He also went a perfect seven-for-seven in stolen base attempts over his month of big-league action.
Assuming Mauricio’s recovery only takes eight months, that would put him right at the beginning of September for a potential return, although considerations such as how the Mets are doing and how the healing process has gone will almost certainly play a part in seeing if he’ll see the field at all in 2024.
