Yoenis Cespedes had surgery to remove the calcifications from his left heel on Friday, the Mets announced.
It was the second such surgery for Cespedes, who had it performed on his right heel Aug. 2. The outfielder is not expected to be able to return until the second half of the 2019 season.
Coincidentally, Cespedes' agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, is currently considered the front runner in baseball circles to take over as the Mets GM. The team insists they are still deciding between Van Wagenen and Rays senior VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.
Cespedes played just 38 games in 2018 and played just 81 in the 2017 season with what the Mets said at the time were nagging leg issues. Cespedes said those issues were just symptoms of the problems with his heels.
Last season, after going on the disabled list with a right hip flexor strain, Cespedes returned for a July 20 game against the Yankees. He left the game early and then announced out of the blue he needed surgery on his heels. It created a week-long controversy as Cespedes and the team figured out the plan forward. He was eventually shut down for surgery.
The 33-year-old is entering the third year of the four-year, $110 million deal that Van Wagenen negotiated for him before the 2017 season. In the combined 119 games he has played over the last two years, Cespedes hit .280 with 26 home runs with 71 RBI and 111 strikeouts.
Both surgeries were conducted by Dr. Robert Anderson.