Phillies reliever Craig Kimbrel on Mets closer Edwin Díaz’s injury misery: ‘I hate it for him’

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Craig Kimbrel played for Team USA in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He also happens to be lugging 394 career saves — more than all active pitchers in baseball — into his first season with the Phillies.

So, yes, you bet he feels Mets star closer Edwin Díaz’s misery.

Díaz nailed down the final out Tuesday night to help Puerto Rico advance to the quarterfinals of the WBC, then tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during the on-field celebration. He had surgery Thursday and will miss the season.

» READ MORE: Phillies catcher, clubhouse DJ and now Israel sports sensation: Garrett Stubbs had fun, as usual, in the WBC

And if Díaz got injured at the bottom of a mass of bodies stacked up on the mound, it would be a lesson on the perils of overdoing a victory party. But that wasn’t what happened.

“They were just jumping around, right?” Kimbrel said, shaking his head. “Every time I watch the College World Series and I see those guys pile on top of each other, I cringe. Because you just know someone’s getting crushed under there. That’s not the case here. They were just jumping around, and it went out on him.”

In other words, it could have happened at any time. And although Kimbrel acknowledged the challenges of scheduling the WBC in March, he also doesn’t believe Díaz’s plight should give fuel to the critics who question the wisdom of holding an international tournament two weeks before the MLB season opens.

“This is the best time, I think, to put it all together,” Kimbrel said. “We’re already down here getting ready. Are there aspects that you could see some better baseball, more strikes thrown [at another time]? Absolutely. But this is what we’ve got. This is how we do it.”

Kimbrel said he considered volunteering to pitch in the WBC again in 2017 and this year. But after his experience in 2013, he chose to take a pass and get ready for the season instead, especially this time around after signing a one-year contract with the Phillies.

» READ MORE: Edwin Díaz’s injury has people questioning the World Baseball Classic. But there is an answer.

“The last time I played, I got in there, I was throwing 98 [mph], and for the first month of the season, I’ll be honest, I was hanging,” Kimbrel said. “I got through it and had one of the better years of my career [in 2013]. But there definitely was that, ‘How much can I give and how useful am I going to be [after]?’

“If it comes around again and I’m still playing, I think I’ll give it a thought,” Kimbrel said. “I’ll be [closer to] the end of my career and having that opportunity to play for your country ... I mean, sitting on the couch watching it, as a competitor, you’re like, ‘Man, that would be awesome to be there and be a part of it.’”

Besides, Kimbrel’s previous WBC experience didn’t sit well. He gave up two runs in the ninth inning and blew a save against the Dominican Republic. Team USA didn’t advance beyond pool play.

» READ MORE: Baseball back in the Olympics with major leaguers? Bryce Harper would love it.

Compared to Díaz, though, Kimbrel got off easy.

“An injury like that, especially in the circumstances it was in, it’s just crazy to see,” Kimbrel said. “It’s just unfortunate. What he’s been able to do the last couple of years, and what it seemed like he’s on track to do for the next couple years, I hate it for him. I hope he has a great recovery.”

Any concern about left-hander Ranger Suárez’s sore arm appears to have subsided after he threw again off flat ground. He will throw a bullpen session Sunday, according to manager Rob Thomson.

Suárez cut short his time with Venezuela in the WBC last week because of what the Phillies described as tightness in his forearm. Thomson seemed pleased after monitoring Suárez’s throwing session.

”It looked good, it looked natural,” Thomson said. “He said it was fine.”

» READ MORE: Why Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, and Brandon Marsh are keys to the Phillies’ making a big jump in 2023

Lefty reliever Matt Strahm started a split-squad game against the Blue Jays and retired six of seven batters in two scoreless innings. He displayed a five-pitch repertoire that is atypical for a reliever. He threw fastballs, sliders, sinkers, and changeups — 27 pitches, in all.

Strahm could serve a multi-inning hybrid role for the Phillies.

“I love both [relieving and starting],” said Strahm, who signed a two-year, $15 million contract to pitch out of the bullpen but also made 16 starts in 2019 for the Padres. “You can’t replicate the adrenaline rush of the seventh inning and that phone ringing. I get goosebumps just talking about it. That’s what gets me going. I love that part.

“But showing up to the yard and challenging guys two or three times through the lineup, the best [hitters] in the world, you can hang your hat on that, too. Six innings, a quality start, that’s something to pound your chest about, too.”

In the other split-squad game, also against the Blue Jays, Bailey Falter allowed one run in five innings and Rhys Hoskins homered on his 30th birthday in a 4-2 victory. ... Top prospect Mick Abel will return from minor-league camp to start at 6:05 p.m. Saturday against the Braves in North Port, Fla. Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh will headline the travel roster.