Mets' Jed Lowrie Diagnosed with PCL Laxity in Left Knee

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Jed Lowrie played just nine games for the New York Mets last season, and it doesn’t appear as if his 2020 campaign will begin anytime soon.

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen revealed on Thursday that a second opinion on Lowrie’s troublesome left knee revealed “PCL laxity,” meaning looseness in the knee joint in the area of the posterior cruciate ligament.

“The report back was not really that inconsistent to what we’ve already learned,” Van Wagenen said. “That’s the injury that has been in the knee; it’s been the root of his problem for months, but he has laxity in that PCL that’s been causing him the pain. When he wears his larger brace, that pain is mitigated, but it increases when he doesn’t.”

The GM also said that the two doctors who have examined Lowrie’s knee will meet with him, and together will figure out a course of action – leaving no timetable for when, or even if, Lowrie will be able to play – even as Van Wagenen noted that, when seen wearing that larger brace during summer camp, Lowrie appeared to be pretty close to game shape, and could quickly be ready if he clears one big hurdle.

“He was MLB ready offensively from both the left side of the plate and right side of the plate,” Van Wagenen said. “He had as many professional, quality at-bats as anybody in camp. And, if we get to that point [where he can run efficiently], I don’t see it taking too long for him to get ready.”

Still, as of Thursday, the Mets have so far only gotten nine out of a possible 169 games out of Lowrie since signing him to a two-year, $20 million deal in the 2018-19 offseason – all of which came last September as a pinch-hitter, and saw Lowrie go 0-for-7 with one walk, four strikeouts, and one appearance where he was announced to pinch-hit but then lifted for a second replacement after a pitching change was made.

And, the diagnosis was another piece of bad news on a day where the Mets had to place their current utility infielder, Eduardo Nunez, on the injured list with a left knee contusion suffered on Sunday. The team also designated pitcher Hunter Strickland for assignment, and added infielder Brian Dozier and lefty Daniel Zamora from their alternate site to fill those roster spots. 

Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN

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