Griffin Canning Suffers Achilles Tendon Rupture
The New York Mets have announced that starting pitcher Griffin Canning suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon on Thursday night.
Canning was placed on the 60-day injured list on Friday and faces a long recovery. This same injury has affected NBA stars such as Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Haliburton during the playoffs.
On Thursday, Canning made a pitch to Atlanta’s Nick Allen, who hit a ground ball to shortstop Francisco Lindor. As he planted his leg to run to cover third base, Canning collapsed on the ground and grabbed his left leg.
Mets catcher Luis Torrens requested assistance from the medical staff and manager Carlos Mendoza, who had to help Canning leave the field.
The right-handed pitcher threw 2 2/3 innings without allowing runs, allowing only one hit and striking out three batters without walks. In his first season with the Mets, after five with the Los Angeles Angels, Canning had a 7-3 record with a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts.
In addition to Canning’s move to the injured list, the Mets made several other transactions.
The Mets called up right-handed pitcher Blade Tidwell and selected left-handed pitcher Colin Poche from Triple-A Syracuse. They sent right-handed pitcher Austin Warren and infielder Jared Young to Syracuse, and left-handed pitcher Dicky Lovelady elected free agency after rejecting an outright assignment to Triple-A.
The Mets also reinstated infielder Mark Vientos from the 10-day injured list. Vientos last played on June 2 before going on the injured list with a hamstring strain. He is in the Mets’ lineup for Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, batting sixth as the designated hitter.
Finally, the Mets signed outfielder Jose Azocar to a minor league contract and sent him to Syracuse. Azocar began the season with the Mets, playing 12 games for the MLB team; after being granted free agency, he saw action in two games for the Atlanta Braves, and then was granted free agency again on June 18.
