MIAMI � The 2009 Mets have made injury updates a daily necessity. But even for a team far too accustomed to absorbing bad news, this one is big.

Johan Santana is done for the year.
Mets general manager Omar Minaya announced via a Tuesday afternoon conference call that Santana would undergo �minor arthroscopic surgery to clear bone chips from his left elbow and is out for the remainder of the season.�
As much as this felt like just another body blow to a team that barely resembles the World Series hopeful put together in April, the news could have been worse. Though Santana becomes the 12th Mets� player currently on the disabled list, there were internal concerns that the discomfort Santana complained about since his last start could have required a more serious operation.
When the Mets pulled Santana from a scheduled start Tuesday in Florida and sent him to see team orthopedist Dr. David Altchek, finding bone chips rather than something such as a bone spur or ligament damage brought some relief.
�I�m disappointed because I wanted to keep pitching and help my team, but at the same time I�m relieved to know everything has been clarified and it�s not the worst,� Santana said during a night conference call. �I�m going to do my best to recover. Believe me, I�m going to be ready to go for 2010, because I know myself very well. I want to compete. Do I want to go out like this? No. But my team requests (me) to take some time and that�s what I�m going to do.�
As the news unfolded throughout the day, there were some odd twists and turns as the Mets again found themselves defending the timeline and seriousness of Santana�s injury. The left-handed ace is the cornerstone of the organization � he has four years remaining on the franchise-high $137.5 million, six-year contract he signed after being traded to the Mets in February 2008.
So when it was revealed that he has been pitching with the bone chips for a while, first
complaining of some discomfort around the All-Star break, Minaya was asked why Santana had continued pitching. The Mets are out of playoff contention.
�It didn�t get worse in the last month or six weeks, just after the last start,� Minaya said. �That�s why we�re shutting him down now.�
Manager Jerry Manuel, similarly peppered with questions about the length and severity of Santana�s discomfort, also noted Santana�s complaint after his last outing.
�When it gets to the point where he mentions it, then all of a sudden the red flags go off,� Manuel said before the Mets dropped a 2-1 series opener to the Marlins, a game in which they saw yet another player leave with an injury. Gary Sheffield, after drawing a two-out, seventh-inning walk, had a cramp in his lower back and was lifted for pinch-runner Jeremy Reed.
As for Santana, he supported the team�s version of events, making a point to credit Minaya for the quick reaction to his latest discomfort. The 30-year-old veteran said he began feeling discomfort in his elbow before the All-Star break, and team trainers were monitoring the situation. After his last start, he said, �I felt there was some lack of range of motion. ... and that kind of concerned me. Omar decided to send me to the doctor. ... I�m very pleased with the way it�s gone.�
Santana mentioned 2003, when as a Twin he had off-season surgery to remove bone chips and returned to have his best season. Santana won one of his two Cy Young awards in 2004, when he was 20-6 with a 2.61 ERA. He was 13-9 with a 3.13 ERA this season, but had dipped considerably since June (6-7, 4.02 in his last 15 starts).
Pitching coach Dan Warthen said the elbow discomfort led Santana to struggle with velocity and control. Removing the bone chips should fix the problem.
�This is about the long term. We�re here for years to come. You don�t want to go out there and blow it and make it worse,� Santana said.