Reed Garrett woke up last Saturday with a strange mix of jitters and hope, thousands of miles from the Mets' home in Queens. He was not in a packed stadium with fans screaming. Instead, he stood in an empty ballpark in Port St. Lucie, Florida, preparing to face hitters for the first time since his arm was rebuilt. This quiet session marks a massive shift for a pitcher who has not thrown a single pitch for the team this season.
The feeling in that empty complex was electric for Garrett, even without a crowd to hear it. He told The New York Post that the moment felt surreal after months of rehabbing alone. "I had nerves and excitement to go to the field," Garrett said, describing the unique pressure of that first live session. It was a simple test, but the stakes were high for a player who had torn a ligament in his right elbow last October.
Garrett underwent a specific procedure called an internal brace reconstruction, which is a major surgery for a pitcher. He also had a bone spur removed from the same arm to clear the way for a full recovery. The Mets placed him on the 60-day injured list back in February because they knew from day one that he would miss the entire 2026 season. The goal was never to rush him back into a game this year.
Every single step Garrett takes now is designed to ensure he enters the 2027 season completely healthy and ready to pitch. Empire Sports Media reports that the team is watching his progress closely as he works toward that distant future. The plan is not to get him back on the mound in 2025 or 2026, but to build a foundation that will last. He spent most of the current season rehabbing in Florida, far away from the bright lights of Citi Field.
Before the injury hit, Garrett was one of the most reliable arms in the Mets' bullpen. He posted a 3.90 ERA with 64 strikeouts across 55.1 innings in 2025, according to Empire Sports Media. That performance showed he could strike out more than 10 hitters per nine innings for the second year in a row. Losing a pitcher with that kind of power was a blow, but the team is playing the long game now.
Garrett is scheduled to throw off a mound this Tuesday in front of Mets officials to see how his body reacts to more stress. This next test will tell the medical staff if the elbow can handle the full force of a live throw. The fact that he feels "13 again" suggests the recovery is moving faster than many expected, but the timeline remains strict. He will not be in a Mets uniform until the team is sure he is ready.
The Mets are betting on Garrett's arm to be a key part of their future rotation. If he makes it to 2027 healthy, he could bring back the strikeout numbers that made him a fan favorite.
