Keith Hernandez is coming back. SNY confirmed the beloved Mets analyst will return to the broadcast booth on May 4 in Colorado.
The Mets open a series against the Rockies that day. It marks Hernandez’s first appearance since undergoing back surgery on April 14.
The procedure was no minor fix. According to the New York Post, Hernandez endured a four-hour operation at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Doctors repaired a bulging disc that had been causing severe nerve damage.
The 72-year-old didn’t sugarcoat his condition.
“It was causing me all my grief, my pain, which was on the right side of my body,” Hernandez told Sports+. “Literally, my right quadricep was like a light switch turned off, I had no strength.”
The nerve damage was debilitating. “The nerve had just shut down the quad,” he said. “I couldn’t walk up a step with the right quad.” He admitted falling twice before the surgery.
Hernandez had already missed five games earlier this season due to back issues. He returned briefly, then the pain forced him into the operating room. He’s currently in year one of a new three-year deal with SNY. The contract reduced his workload from roughly 110 games to about 95.
Mets fans have noticed his absence. Hernandez remains one of the most distinctive and candid voices in regional sports television.
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