The surgery will sideline Mets’ Jose Quintana for half of the season

port st. Lucy – Jose Quintana’s fractured fifth rib on his left side will be surgically repaired with a bone graft, sidelining the Mets’ left rib for at least the first half of the season.

Quintana chose surgery over the conservative option of letting the fracture heal naturally, general manager Billy Eppler said Tuesday, after consulting with doctors that included an orthopedic oncologist because a lesion was discovered on the rib.

A biopsy determined the lesion was benign, which removed Quintana’s cancer fears.

Quintana’s surgery is scheduled for Friday.

Ippler wouldn’t offer a solid timeline for the 34-year-old Quintana’s return other than to say that it will “be past July 1.”

The Post reported Monday that Quintana is expected to be shut down from throwing for at least three months.

“A lot will depend on how quickly Jose can resume physical activity,” said Eppler at Clover Park. “How much downtime does he need after this procedure? Does he need a week or two or 10 days before he can run? It’s a bit of an involved surgery. When you do bone grafts it’s going to hurt, which is why it’s hard to tell.” specific timetable.

Eppler said the odds of a full recovery are better with surgery than with conservative care.

“Conservative care was imposed close to the outcome of a coin flip,” said Eppler. “That has more certainty. It’s just surgery and what comes with the surgery is the closure and you have to stop moving.”

Quintana arrived in December with a two-year, $26 million contract.

With him absent, Taylor Miguel and David Peterson are vying for a spot in the Mets’ rotation.