An upbeat Edwin Diaz hasn’t ruled out a late-season return to the Mets.

Walking with crutches and wearing an ankle-to-thigh brace, Diaz addressed reporters Wednesday outside the clubhouse for the first time since he suffered a torn patellar tendon March 15 in the World Baseball Classic.

“We are working hard if I can come back as soon as possible,” Diaz said. “Everything is going in the right direction. The doctors say I’m doing great, so I’m really happy.

“They want me to get my knee better first, and then we’ll see how I’m responding with my strength and all these things I have to do when I start throwing. If the tests come back good, I might throw this year.”

Diaz said he received an eight-month recovery timeline, though some fast healers can beat that timeline, which has him dreaming about closing out playoff games.

His last pitch resulted in a strikeout that helped Puerto Rico advance out of pool play in the tournament.

Teammates were hopping around the mound celebrating when Diaz mysteriously went down and shocked teammates waved for trainers.

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The injury sparked controversy over whether MLB stars should participate in the WBC during spring training because of the risk of a season-changing injury – like the one to the Mets’ 32-save, lights-out closer.

Diaz has no regrets about joining the WBC and said he would do so again in 2026 if asked.

“People can get hurt at home or any place,” Diaz said. “It happened to be in the WBC. That’s part of the game. I wasn’t pitching, I was celebrating with my teammates. If I had the chance to play again for my country, yeah, I would do it.”