Terry Collins will have to find another lefty reliever to overwork.
Scott Rice, the team's primary LOOGY, has a hernia and will miss the rest of the season. He will have surgery for the injury next week. Collins said Rice had pitched with the injury for three weeks.
Rice was one of the Mets' bullpen stalwarts this season, appearing in 73 games and pitching 51 innings. His seasonal numbers aren't spectacular, as he had a 3.71 ERA, 3.81 xFIP, and pedestrian 41/27 strikeout to walk ratio.
Those numbers don't represent the work Rice has done this season though. Acting as the team's only effective left-handed reliever for much of the season, Rice dominated lefties to the tune of .174/.244/.223 in 121 AB with just 10 walks and 35 strikeouts.
However, he was woefully ineffective against right-handed batters, as they posted a .362/.507/.448 line in 52 AB with 17 walks compared to just six strikeouts.
Rice was one of the big stories for the Mets in spring training, as the 31-year-old finally made it to the majors 14 years after being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1999.