Mets infielder Ronny Mauricio underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn ACL, following an injury he suffered in December while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
Per the Mets, a typical return-to-play timeline for Mauricio's procedure is eight-to-12 months.
If Mauricio makes it back on the shorter end of that timeline, it's possible he could play in September.
If Mauricio's recovery goes beyond eight months, he will not play again until 2025.
Mauricio had been getting more acclimated at third base while playing this winter and had been expected to be in the mix for the Mets' starting third base job this season.
The third base battle is now expected to be between Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, with utility man Joey Wendle perhaps also a factor.
Weighing in on the situation last month, manager Carlos Mendoza discussed where things stand and emphasized the defensive improvements Vientos is attempting to make.
"He's put in a lot of work -- credit to him," Mendoza told reporters. "He's put in a lot of work on his defense, on his body, on his agility, his mobility. He spent a week with [Francisco] Lindor, he's planning to visit again with him in January. So I'm excited.
"Just having those conversations with him in the early going, he knows that defense is something that he needs to work on. And he's doing that."
Asked about how the injury to Mauricio could change the equation at third base, Mendoza said the team continued to "feel good with what we have internally."
"I don't know if it changed," Mendoza said. "We've been saying that we have a lot of bats, and he [Mauricio] was a part of that. Obviously, we took a hit and we have to revisit. Feeling pretty good with what we have. We've got Mark, we've got Joey, obviously Brett. Same guys that we've been saying all along. But we'll see."
As the Mets look to fill out their roster ahead of spring training, one of the players they have been linked to is free agent Justin Turner.
Turner served mostly as a DH last season for the Boston Red Sox, but he also got time at third base, second base and first base, and would offer the Mets serious flexibility and a potential starter at the hot corner if Baty or Vientos doesn't take the job and run with it.