Mets' Pete Alonso defends Noah Syndergaard undergoing elbow surgery amid coronavirus pandemic
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso defended teammate Noah Syndergaard after the righty was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery last week in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Syndergaard was criticized for having the surgery, which was completed in Florida. Alonso took issue with a Sports Illustrated article in particular which pondered whether it was ethical for superstar baseball athletes to have the procedure in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AS MLB PONDERS POST-VIRUS SEASON, PLAYERS WORRY ABOUT HEALTH
“Who is to judge someone’s medical needs in order to perform their job,” Alonso tweeted. “Noah’s surgery, or any other athlete’s surgery during this time shouldn’t be scrutinized considering it is done by orthopedic surgeons, not those on the frontlines battling this pandemic.
“Medical supplies are high in demand. The issue isn’t Noah needing surgery and getting it. The issue I have is that the tone of this article suggests that players are making the decisions to get surgeries.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}YANKEES CLOSER AROLDIS CHAPMAN LOOKS RIDICULOUSLY YOLKED IN LATEST INSTAGRAM SNAP
Alonso continued, saying no athlete wants to get surgery and then have to go through the long and arduous recovery process. He also took issue with medical experts speaking out on the surgery when they weren’t involved in Syndergaard’s diagnosis.
The Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Fla., where Syndergaard’s procedure was done, told Sports Illustrated that it was determined the surgery was “essential” after “using rigorous medical criteria as a guide.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pete Alons defended Noah Syndergaard on Monday. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Boston Red Sox lefty Chris Sale also had Tommy John surgery. Sale’s procedure on Monday took place in Los Angeles, where he needed to wait 11 days because of doctor availability in the region as they battle the coronavirus.
“Under normal circumstances, we might have been able to have it happen a little bit sooner,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters. “We know that this is not life and death. … It’s apples and oranges with this versus when you talk about something that’s life-threatening.”