Mets’ Marcus Stroman Opts Out of 2020 Season Citing Covid 19 Concerns

By Scott Mandel

Marcus Stroman, a key member of the New York Mets starting rotation, has decided to end his season.

The right-hander becomes the second high-profile Mets player to opt out, joining Yoenis Cespedes, who opted out earlier this month.

Stroman, who was acquired by the Mets from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline last season, has not pitched this season because of a torn calf muscle.

Stroman has accrued enough service time to qualify for free agency after this season.

Stroman, who had been working his way back from the preseason calf injury, said he made his decision with his family and it is purely based on COVID-19, not because of his calf. Stroman, 29, is set to become a free agent at the end of the year without throwing a pitch in 2020. He said the decision was “weighing on” him daily.

“This is not something that I wanted,” Stroman said. “This was a collective decision for my family, for our best interests. Because I’m such a competitor, it was incredibly hard to finally come up with this decision.”