Former New York Mets star Michael Conforto will not play in 2022 after undergoing shoulder surgery last week.
Last week Michael Confordo underwent successful shoulder surgery by Dr Neil ELATTRACHE. He is expected to make a full recovery and return to play in spring training 2023. @nypostsports
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 24, 2022
Conforto's first seven big league seasons came with the Mets. He was once seen as a prominent part of their future plans, making the All-Star game in his third season in 2017.
Since then, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Conforto slashed .322/.412/.515 with nine homers and 31 RBIs across 54 games. It was his best season since that All-Star appearance just three years before. In 2021, Conforto struggled immensely. It was his lowest batting average (.232), on-base percentage (.344), and OPS+ (101) since the 2016 season. His .384 slugging percentage in 406 ABs was the worst in his career.
The outfielder declined the Mets' qualifying offer of one-year, $18.4 million in November. That decision was decided by his desire to test free agency and see what kind of deal he could get. Conforto had interest from several teams, including the Rockies, Diamondbacks, Padres, and Marlins.
Upon Conforto declining the Mets' qualifying offer, he ended up hurting that shoulder in a workout in January. Agent Scott Boras had him wait to negotiate with other teams until that shoulder was fully healed. It never did, and that explains why he remained unsigned as the season kicked off.
As Heyman tweeted, Conforto is expected to be ready by spring training in 2023. By then, he'll be 30 years old and two years removed from baseball. While he'll certainly get an opportunity somewhere, he likely won't get the contract he was hoping for heading into this offseason.
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