Mets Closer Edwin Díaz Expected To Miss Season After Knee Injury

QUEENS — It was a bittersweet moment for the thousands of people watching the World Baseball Classic game on Wednesday after Mets closer Edwin “Sugar” Díaz was suddenly seen limping across Miami’s loanDepot park.

Díaz sustained a full-thickness tear of the patellar tendon in his right knee, the Mets confirmed on Thursday, after the team’s all-star closer celebrated Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic Wednesday night.

The Puerto Rican player will have surgery performed on Thursday, the Mets tweeted, a procedure that could take months of recovery.

Díaz was seen taken off the field in a wheelchair after Puerto Rico defeated the Dominican Republic 5-2, earning a bid into the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Mets fans online were wishing Díaz a swift recovery and support for him and his family, including Diaz’s brother, Alexis Díaz, who was in tears after his brother was injured.

Puerto Rico’s team, so far, has logged a 9-6 loss to Venezuela and a 10-0 victory against Israel before discarding the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.

The 2023 edition of the global baseball tournament will run through March 21, a period when players are prepping for the regular season during Spring Training.