Mets GM Billy Eppler denies José Quintana is being shut down for three months

After news broke earlier this month of the small stress fracture in José Quintana’s left rib on the left side, it was unclear how long Quintana would be on the shelf for. According to Mike Puma, the Mets plan to shut down Quintana for three months before ramping up his throwing, placing his timetable in the mid-summer range.

This timetable is in line with what SportsMD.com outlined as the norm for this type of injury, which is 8-12 weeks if the fracture remains small, but up to 6-12 months if the fracture grows.

Quintana, who came to the Mets on a two-year, $26 million contract this offseason, was the sole lefty in the Mets’ starting rotation. Left-hander David Peterson and right-hander Tylor Megill appear to be the front runners for Quintana’s spot in the rotation.

Puma indicates the the Mets prefer Megill initially, in part due to his hot start to the 2022 season. Peterson, however, both has more experience and is left-handed.

Update: Mets GM Billy Eppler claims that the Puma report is ‘premature’ and that they are still speaking with a ‘a handful of doctors.’