Christian Scott to have elbow surgery, ending promising rookie season for Mets

NEW YORK — Despite initial optimism, Christian Scott's rookie season with the Mets has come to an end.

Scott will undergo Tommy John surgery with an internal brace early next week. The 25-year-old right-hander is expected to miss the entirety of the 2025 season following the procedure.

The surgery, known as the hybrid procedure, will be performed by noted elbow specialist Dr. Keith Meister.

"I love to go out and compete and I love to do what I do," Scott said on Wednesday. "This is the best job in the world, so yeah, it sucks, but at the same time, this is what we signed up for.

"It’s unfortunate but at the same time, be positive about it and go out and be the best version of myself I possibly can on a day-to-day and do everything I can to get my body in a position to compete in ’26."

Scott was placed on the injured list back on July 23 after suffering a ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his throwing elbow. He began throwing in mid-August with the hopes of returning in the 2024 season but said he could not get over the hump with his off-speed pitches.

After dealing with a similar injury at the tail end of 2023, Scott was able to persevere and return to the mound. But after consulting with doctors and the team's training staff decided to proceed with surgery this time around.

"I’m just blessed to be able to have the training staff and the medical staff that we have here," Scott said. "This is a world-class organization, so I’m going to trust these guys. I trust these guys fully, so I’m going to go out and give it absolutely everything I have during this rehab process and be on the good side of it."

In his first major league season, Scott made nine starts, notching an 0-3 record with a 4.56 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 47⅓ innings. The righty dealt with some hard luck in securing his first major-league victory, notching five starts with three earned runs allowed or fewer across at least five innings.

"It’s not good that he’s gonna be down for a long time, but you could use this experience this year as a development for him," Carlos Mendoza said. "He took the baseball for us, he gave us a chance, he continues to learn and he knows what it takes to be a big-league player, what it takes to be a big-league pitcher."

After being drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft as a reliever out of the University of Florida, Scott made a leap as a starting pitcher and worked through the minor league system quickly, ascending three levels when he was the organization's pitcher of the year in 2023.

He earned a call-up on May 4 after opening with a 3-0 record with a 3.20 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 25⅓ innings in his first five starts for Triple-A Syracuse.

Scott tossed quality starts in his first two starts of his career, limiting the Rays to one earned run across 6⅔ innings with six strikeouts during his debut on May 4 before allowing three earned runs in six innings with eight strikeouts against the Braves.

"I learned so much," Scott said. "A lot of the veterans here, being able to have a lot of these guys on the staff to just help guide through this part, I’m super lucky, super blessed to have a lot of these guys in this clubhouse.

"... I’m just soaking up as much information as I possibly can from these guys and I’m just super grateful for the opportunity that they gave me."

Scott would have likely factored into the Mets' rotation for the upcoming 2025 season but will now spend the year on the mend. The Mets currently have Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn under team control for next season.

"My job is now to be the best teammate I can possibly be and also get myself as healthy as I can, so I’m really focusing on those two things right now," Scott said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Christian Scott to have elbow surgery, ending promising rookie season for Mets