Christian Scott set to undergo Tommy John surgery

NEW YORK — Christian Scott, one of the Mets’ most promising pitching prospects of the last decade, will undergo season-ending elbow surgery next week, his agent announced on X. The team has not confirmed the procedure, but a second source did confirm the news.

According to agent Nate Heisler, Scott will undergo a hybrid elbow surgery, which combines a traditional Tommy John ligament replacement along with a stabilizing internal brace. In addition to the rest of this season, Scott will miss most or all of next year recovering.

It’s a significant blow for Scott, 25, a breakout prospect who went from being unranked on the 2023 Mets’ Top 30 Prospects list to No. 5 heading into this campaign. Scott did nothing to hurt his momentum early in the season, producing a 3.20 ERA over his first five Triple-A starts to earn a quick promotion to the Majors, where he posted a 3.90 ERA over five additional outings.

With a fully stocked rotation at that time, the Mets bounced Scott back to Triple-A until July, but he proved less consistent in his second tour of the Majors. In late July, the team placed Scott on the injured list with a sprained UCL in his right elbow, and Scott said he may eventually need to undergo surgery. But he and team officials also thought a more conservative course of treatment could be feasible, so they gave him two months to rest and rehab in hopes of avoiding a Tommy John operation.

The downside was limited, because regardless of whether Scott had surgery in July or September, he was likely to miss most or all of 2025.

Finally, Scott made the decision this week to undergo surgery. Elbow expert Dr. Keith Meister, who has already performed operations on Mets relievers Brooks Raley and Drew Smith this year, will execute Scott’s procedure.

Overall, Scott went 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA over nine starts in the Majors. Because he finished with fewer than 50 innings, he will retain his rookie eligibility when he returns.

Scott’s absence underscores the Mets’ need for pitching help this offseason. Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana are all set to become free agents, costing the team more than 500 innings from this year’s starting staff. While the team does have multiple rotation options at the upper levels of the Minors, including Brandon Sproat, who is the club’s No. 1-ranked prospect, and No. 8 prospect Blade Tidwell, none are guaranteed to be ready by Opening Day.

Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn are the returning starters on the Mets’ 40-man roster, and the club could convert José Buttó back to the rotation as well. But the Mets will surely seek additional help from outside the organization.