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Veteran pitcher Jose Quintana has high hopes of contributing the New York Mets pitching staff this year, and he also has designs on pitching for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic. However, those plans are on hold after he left a spring training start against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The left-handed pitcher pitched one inning in the game before leaving due to tightness on his left side. Quintana will get tested Monday to determine the full extent of the injury.
If the injury is serious or there are lingering problems, it seems unlikely that he will be able to pitch in the international tournament.
Quintana signed a 2-year, $26 million contract with the Mets in the offseason. The pitcher had been knocked around in his first spring training start, but he did not allow a hit in the one inning he worked against the Cardinals.
He needed just 13 pitches and struck out one batter. It was very encouraging, because the 34-year-old pitcher had trouble with the pitch clock in his first game this spring.
Quintana is entering his 12th year in the big leagues. He spent the first six years of his career with the Chicago White Sox, and he has also pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.
Jose Quintana will likely be the first starter for Colombia in the WBC if he is healthy enough to participate. If Quintana can't pitch, that honor would likely go to veteran right-handed pitcher Julio Teheran.
