Mets closer Edwin Diaz ‘pleased’ after throwing first live batting practice of spring camp

PORT ST. LUCIE — The trumpets didn’t sound and the crowd didn’t go wild, but Edwin Diaz took a step in the direction of normalcy by throwing live batting practice for the first time this spring Thursday at Clover Park.

After missing the 2023 season, the Mets closer is eager to make his return. Almost a year after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee at the World Baseball Classic, Diaz finally threw to live hitters, throwing 12 pitches to hitters and looking every bit as dominant as he once did.

“I was just trying to make my pitches,” Diaz said. “I threw really good sliders and some really bad sliders. It was my first time facing hitters in a long time and I was really pleased with what I did today.”

It was an important rehab benchmark that just about everyone in camp has been waiting for.

“It was nice to see Sugar on the mound, he looked really, really good,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “We know what he went through last year and to face hitters for the first time was a good first step.”

Diaz threw 12 warm up pitches before taking the Clover Field mound. The zip on the pitches was obvious. Bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello told him to move closer when catching long-toss, as an excited Diaz was throwing from more than 120 feet away.

Diaz tied up catcher Omar Narvaez on a slider that looked as deadly as it did in 2022, when he posted a 1.31 ERA and saved 32 games. His fastball was clocked in the mid-90s.

“I was supposed to throw like 94-96, I had a pitch at 96-point-something and they to yell to me like, ‘Hey, slow it down,’” Diaz said. “But I was feeling great. I want to keep going.”

The Mets may have to slow Diaz down a bit if his body doesn’t respond properly to the program. So far, it has responded every step of the way throughout his rehab, but he still has yet to take ground balls or do any sort of fielding drills.

“How is he going to bounce back?” Mendoza said. “We’ll have conversations tomorrow and the next day to make sure he’s not trying to do too much right now.”

Losing Diaz was a huge blow for the Mets last season and the team didn’t have the relief talent needed to be able to compensate for the loss. The outcome of 2023 could have been different had Diaz been able to close games.

But the Mets are moving forward with cautious optimism. This latest step in his recovery is an indicator that the trumpets are near.

“It’s pretty simple — he’s, he’s the best,” said reliever Adam Ottavino. “Anytime we get somebody back that’s the best at their position, you can’t replace that.”