Parnell pitched fantastically for the Mets in 2013, but pitched just one inning in 2014 before going under the knife.
Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork reported on Thursday that GM Sandy Alderson does not expect former Mets closer Bobby Parnell to be ready to pitch at the start of the 2015 season.
"Right now I think we’re projecting sometime after the season starts," Alderson said about Parnell making his return to Queens. "But that’s just an educated guess right now."
Parnell appeared in just one game for the Mets in 2014 before he underwent Tommy John surgery on April 8 to repair a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right elbow. Parnell experienced great success as the Mets' closer in 2013 when he recorded 22 saves to go along with a 2.16 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 50 innings.
Jenrry Mejia emerged as a solid closer last year, but he wasn't as effective as Parnell was in his 2013 season. Manager Terry Collins prefers to have Parnell regain the closer role in 2015 once he is healthy. If Parnell can return to his pre-injury form that we saw in 2013, he will be a tremendous addition to a Mets bullpen that turned out to be a team strength in 2014. The hope is that he will combine with fellow young flamethrowers Mejia and Jeurys Familia to give the Mets a dominant trio of late-inning relievers, similar to what we saw Greg Holland, Wade Davis, and Kelvin Herrera do for the Kansas City Royals this postseason.