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The All-Star break is over and as the second half kicks off Friday night, the New York Mets will be a little closer to full strength. Left-hander José Quintana will be taken off the injured list after completing his 30-day minor-league rehabilitation period. Quintana had surgery in March for a lesion on his ribs and has yet to pitch this season.
“I can’t wait man, I’m so excited,” Quintana told MLB.com she came off the injured list.
Quintana expects to make his Mets debut next week against the Chicago White Sox, his former team, he said Friday. Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga will start on Friday and Saturday respectively, while Max Scherzer will probably start on Sunday. Quintana takes the rotation spot last occupied by David Peterson. Peterson and Tylor Megill have a combined 5.73 ERA in 26 starts this season.
Quintana’s return marks New York’s first full rotation this season. Verlander missed the start of the season with a muscle injury, Carlos Carrasco missed a month with elbow problems and Scherzer was postponed several times due to a nagging back. Senga, an All-Star, has not missed a start, although he often throws with extra rest.
The Mets signed Quintana to a two-year, $26 million contract over the winter. He split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals last season, throwing 165 2/3 innings with a 2.93 ERA. It was his best and healthiest season since his heyday with the White Sox in the mid-2010s.
Pitchers can spend up to 30 days on a minor league rehab assignment, and Quintana started his on June 13, so he must be activated Friday. In five rehab starts, he allowed 10 runs in 15 2/3 innings, and in his most recent start was stretched to 4 1/3 innings and 79 pitches.
The Mets are coming off the All-Star break at 42-48 and seven games out of a postseason berth. There’s a chance they could sell by the deadline, and even after the injury there could be interest in Quintana given the lack of quality pitching at this time of year.
New York starts the second half at home on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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