Associated Press
NEW YORK ó Johan Santana needs surgery for bone chips in his left elbow and the star pitcher is out for the season, the latest blow to a New York Mets team battered by injuries.
The team said their 30-year-old ace is expected to be OK for spring training next year. He was examined Tuesday by Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek in New York.
“It’s not the worst,” Santana said on a conference call. “Believe me, I’m going to be ready.”
The Mets also announced Tuesday that reliever J.J. Putz had a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery and will miss the rest of the season after an MRI revealed “some new fraying and a slight tear” in his right forearm. He will not need surgery and it is merely a preventative measure, the team said.
TRADE
BOSTON ó Billy Wagner is on his way to the Boston Red Sox, leaving the New York Mets for the chance to pitch in a pennant race as a setup man for closer Jonathan Papelbon.
After a few days of back-and-forth talks about Wagner’s future, the depleted Mets traded the left-handed reliever to the Red Sox for two players to be named.
The teams worked out a deal that persuaded Wagner to waive his no-trade clause. Wagner’s main motivation was his “overwhelming desire to pitch in a pennant race.”