"Oh my gosh!' An outfielder from Hanwha, eventually suffered a rupture of the meniscus in the knee → The timing of his return is also unclear

*This content was translated by AI.

Mike Turkman (36), a "Hanwha Eagles native" outfielder who was seeking to re-enter the Major League at the New York Mets, met the worst bad news. In the midst of fierce competition for the starting lineup, he suffered an unexpected injury and underwent knee surgery, and the timing of his return became unclear. First of all, boarding the opening entry failed.

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (47) said in an interview with local media such as the New York Post on the 23rd (Korea time), "Tuckman, who was competing to enter the outdoor roster, is scheduled to undergo surgery for a rupture of the meniscus in his left knee."

Turkman was replaced during an exhibition game against the Houston Astros on the 22nd due to discomfort in his left knee. A thorough examination (MRI) was conducted immediately, and a diagnosis of meniscus rupture, not simple pain, was found. Coach Mendoza said, "At this time, we cannot confirm the exact timing of our return."

Turkman is a familiar name for baseball fans in Korea. Turkman, who played for the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO League in the last 2022 season, played in all games (144 games) and recorded a batting average of 0.289 (166 hits in 575 at-bats) with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs (on-base plus slugging) of 0.796 OPS. After the end of the season, Hanwha's contract negotiations collapsed after evaluating that it lacked long-range power. Brian Ogreddy signed with Hanwha instead of Tuckman.

Tuckman then signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs, followed by the Chicago White Sox, and signed a minor league contract with the Mets ahead of this season to seek entry on the roster.

Tuckman, who has a batting average of 0.241 (7 hits in 29 at-bats) with one home run, six RBIs and an OPS of 0.819, in 13 exhibition games, has been mentioned as a strong candidate for the starting or backup outfielder position throughout the spring camp, showing consistent batting and defense throughout his mid-30s. However, due to injuries that erupted just before the opening roster was confirmed, the dream of re-entering the big league was postponed for a while.

Tuckman's departure also changed the Mets' outfield concept. Mendoza has yet to give a definite answer, but Carson Benji (23), the team's top prospect, seems to be joining the opening roster. Benji, who made a strong impression in this spring camp, is considered the most likely candidate to take the right field position without Tuckman.

Meanwhile, in addition to Tuckman, the Mets are stepping up efforts to improve the team's constitution by notifying veteran bullpen pitcher Craig Kimbrel (38) of exclusion from the opening roster.

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*This content was translated by AI.