Meanwhile, I was about to announce the final demise of Noah Syndergaard, DFA'd by the Guardians earlier this week, when I saw that he just celebrated his 31st birthday yesterday! (Some birthday present.) He is too young to be too old for baseball.
The past couple of years have not been kind to him, though. Perhaps all the bouncing around: four teams in two seasons, perhaps a fifth for somebody who needs a starter for the final month.
EDIT: Or maybe he has never fully recovered from his TJ surgery in 2020, missing that season and all but a couple of games in late September 2021. Interesting tidbit from Wikipedia about his surgery during the height of the pandemic:
Quote:
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Syndergaard's decision to undergo an elbow repair surgery during a time when many doctors were canceling elective surgeries and conserving hospital resources for the pandemic was met with some controversy, and the hospital performing the surgery released a statement attesting that they had deemed Syndergaard's procedure to be essential. Syndergaard's teammate Pete Alonso similarly justified the decision, saying, "No athlete wants to go through a serious surgery and grueling recovery process. This surgery is done when it is absolutely necessary for their arm."
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Was his condition life-threatening? No. Was his procedure necessary for his livelihood? Yes.