Where Is Mateo in ‘The Pitt’ Season 2?

There are so many rotating doctors and nurses on The Pitt, it’s sometimes tough to keep track. Because of the tragic concert shooting in Season 1, many staff members from both the day and night shifts converged to handle all the incoming patients, several with severe life-threatening injuries.

The day shift nurses, led by Dana (Katherine LaNasa), work incredibly well together, each at the top of their game, assisting the doctors as needed, as do the night shift nurses. One such character is Mateo Diaz (Jalen Thomas Brooks), who had a pretty significant presence in Season 1. Fans have noticed he’s missing from The Pitt Season 2’s cast so far, curious about where he is and whether he’s coming back.

Mateo’s Story Involved Racism & Potential Romance in ‘The Pitt’ Season 1

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In Season 1, Mateo stands out with his distinct curly hair and charming personality. It seems there’s a mutual attraction between him and the brilliant young medical student Victoria (Shabana Azeez), one of the show’s most likable characters, but the stresses of the job and grueling schedule make it challenging to pursue something romantic. Victoria does attempt to make a subtle move by shyly asking him to go for coffee with her after their shift. He declines the invitation, noting that he doesn’t date people at work. It’s evident that Mateo takes his job seriously and doesn’t want to mix business with pleasure.

Most notably from Season 1, Mateo is the victim of a racist attack by angry waiting room patient Doug Driscoll (Drew Powell), who later goes on to punch Dana in one of the most uncomfortable scenes of the season. Mateo’s handling of Doug’s remark, ignoring the nasty comment and focusing on patient care, shows his character and dedication to his job, despite the vitriol that can be spewed at him. In this sense, he’s also representative of any doctor or nurse who has ever faced such racism, sexism, or other uncalled-for remarks while simply trying to help someone.

It isn’t just Mateo’s work that makes him stand out, but also his personality. He has a sense of humor, such as when he refers to the patient with a foreign object in their eye as being a solid 7 on the WMMV Scale, which stands for “What Makes Mateo Vomit.” There’s a sense of calm with him that puts others, including patients, at ease. This is largely why his presence through the day shift so far has been missed.

Where Is Mateo From ‘The Pitt’, & Is He Coming Back?

Fans who appreciated Mateo’s dutiful dedication to his job, potential for romance with Victoria, and his charming demeanor will be pleased to know that the actor has not left the show. Series creator and showrunner R. Scott Gemmill told reporter Matt Webb Mitovich in the Matt’s Inside Line newsletter that Mateo is working the night shift, which is why he hasn’t been seen yet. But he is coming.

Some have inferred that this may have to do with the actor’s schedule. Brooks has been working on a new series for Amazon Prime Video called Off Campus, which is due out in May. So, it’s possible the filming schedule interfered with filming for The Pitt. It’s nice to know, however, that he was simply moved to the night shift versus replacing the character altogether.

If the presumption is that the standard shift is 12 hours, this means Mateo should show up by Episode 12 or 13, which covers the 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. hours, respectively, and thus the shift change. It’s likely the character arc will involve Victoria, especially if the insane fan theory proves right, and doctors are forced to stay late again. If Mateo was unsure about pursuing something because they work together, his now working the night shift could open the door. Maybe they’ll finally go for that coffee, if they can find time between their demanding schedules to do so, that is.

This would develop Victoria’s arc, diving further into her personal story outside of her obsession with the job and her strained relationship with her demanding parents. Her birthday is coming up, as mentioned a few times in Season 2. Dr. Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) seems adamant that everyone knows this and that they should celebrate in some way. So, Mateo could be involved in that respect.

Of the role, Brooks told the Pop Culture Unplugged blog back in January 2025 that while Mateo has a lot of charisma and handles tough situations with humor, he also “has his own struggles. The audience will get to see his layers unfold.” Hopefully, more of these layers are peeled back once the night shift arrives this season and Mateo clocks in for duty.