New York Mets left-hander Jose Quintana, already expected to miss the first three months of the season, will need bone-graft surgery on his rib cage.

Mets general manager Billy Eppler updated reporters on Quintana’s status Tuesday, saying the veteran starter will not be back until July.

Quintana, 34, signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Mets in December after going 6-7 with a 2.93 ERA in a combined 32 starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals last season.

Quintana exited his only spring training start after one inning, complaining of tightness on his side.

In 11 major league seasons, Quintana is 89-87 with a 3.75 ERA in 315 appearances (289 starts), striking out 1,532 batters in 1,723 2/3 innings with the Chicago White Sox (2012-17), Chicago Cubs (2017-20), Los Angeles Angels (2021) and San Francisco Giants (2021) in addition to his stints with Pittsburgh and St. Louis last year.

–Field Level Media