Update, 8/10:
Carpio made his season debut with the GCL Mets as the designated hitter on Wednesday. He went 0-3 with a walk in his first game since last September.
Original report, 8/7:
After missing over five months of the baseball season with a labrum tear in his right shoulder, shortstop Luis Carpio could appear in Gulf Coast League games as soon as next week, Mets Minors has learned. Carpio would serve as a designated hitter.
In March, the 19-year-old underwent surgery to repair the tear, and Newsday later confirmed that Carpio would likely miss the entire 2016 season.
However, Carpio’s condition has progressed faster than originally expected. The Venezuelan native has been working out and receiving treatment at the Mets’ complex in Port St. Lucie, FL. Over the past few days, Carpio has spent time with fellow shortstops Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera, who are in Florida rehabbing injuries as well.
Carpio, ranked as the tenth best prospect in the organization by MLB.com, was expected to make great strides in his development this season, but has not played since September 1 of last year. Originally signed on July 11, 2013, Carpio and his $300,000 signing bonus debuted in the Dominican Summer League, where he put together a .234/.347/.301 line in 60 games. His bat took a step forward in 2015 with the rookie level Kingsport Mets, as he raised his line to .304/.372/.359, while besting his previous totals with 22 runs batted in, ten doubles, and 65 total bases.
Baseball Prospectus, who listed Carpio as the Mets’ third best prospect, had this to say about his promising bat:
Carpio was assigned to the Appalachian League in 2015 as a 17-year-old and more than held his own. But he is much more than just an age-relative-to-league oddity. The kid (and we can use this here as a legal term, rather than a colloquial one) can flat out hit, and he still has some room to fill out and add strength. Facing mostly college-aged arms, Carpio demonstrated an excellent approach at the plate and the ability to track and stay back on offspeed. His swing is simple and short, but explosive, and he already gets more carry on balls than you would think given his build. As he matures he could grow into double-digit-power at the plate. He also showed extremely advanced bat-to-ball skills for a 17-year-old. The projected hit tool is aggressive, but the swing and approach easily qualify as precocious.
Carpio would likely finish this season in the Gulf Coast League before moving up to the Brooklyn Cyclones or Columbia Fireflies in 2017.
That’s great to hear. He really emerged as one of the best prospects in the Mets system last year, and it was really to disappointing to hear that he would miss a whole year of development. Maybe he can still get something out of this year. If he comes back good, I would personally like to see him in Columbia next year (if they were willing to have Ramos skip Brooklyn, they might do the same with Carpio). Also, this makes me more optimistic that Becerra will be ready at the start of next year.
Sounds good to me. I’ve also been told great stuff about this kid from people who’ve watched him play.