Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar has been diagnosed with multiple nasal fractures after being struck in the face by a fastball from Braves right-hander Jacob Webb, per a club announcement. He’ll meet with a specialist to determine the next steps in his treatment.
It was a grisly scene in last night’s Mets/Braves game, for those who didn’t see. An errant fastball from Webb rode up and in on Pillar, striking him flush on the nose and dropping the veteran outfielder in a heap. Pillar was eventually able to walk off the field under his own power, and fans were surely relieved all the more when Pillar tweeted later in the evening: “Thanks to everyone that has reached out! Scary moment but I’m doing fine!”
At this point, there’s no clearly defined timeline for when Pillar might return. If (or when) Pillar is ultimately placed on the injured list, he’ll be added to a staggering number of outfielders on the IL for the Mets. Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo and Albert Almora Jr. are all on the 10-day IL at the moment, as are infielders/outfielders Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis. Jose Martinez, meanwhile, is on the 60-day IL.
With that group sidelined, the Mets have Dominic Smith, Khalil Lee and Johneshwy Fargas on the big league roster, in addition to infield/outfield options Jose Peraza and Jake Hager. The Mets have some other outfield options in Triple-A, including former big leaguers Mallex Smith, Brandon Drury and Mason Williams (none are on the 40-man roster), but their depth is obviously being pushed to its limits.
It’s not at all a surprise to see MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweet that the Mets are exploring outfield additions from outside the organization, but the trade market typically doesn’t get started this early in the season. There have at least been a few recent DFAs who could be claimed or acquired to simply add some depth; Pittsburgh designated Troy Stokes Jr. for assignment, while veteran Jon Jay was designated by the Angels over the weekend. Jay’s transactions log at MLB.com indicates that he cleared waivers, but he has the service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Mets finna be the next Yankees…..Get better tho
Tough SOB for walking off the field just pouring blood.
I agree American Family Field.
careful now.
Regardless of what you want to call it, Puig called it a “baby park” before the 2018 NLCS.
Note: I am NOT a Dodgers fan. I just found that comment somewhat humorous.
I try to disregard the comments by bums like Puig.
As you can see, his lack of talent and his off the field / on the field antics have caused no team to entertain the idea of a contract.
That sounds hella painful.
MetsFan22 finna come in here and tell us all how they’re losing their equivalent of Mike Trout and how it’ll give all NLE teams fans false hope that they all wont be 20 games buried by the end of June.
LMAO fax. He’s done it every post about injuries
Haha yeah. Talk about someone that actually needs a fastball to the face.
@MetsFan22 is getting every opportunity for his excuses.
I imagine he’ll make sure that we all know that the Mets are the only team in the NL East that is dealing with injury issues. After all, it’s what SNY’s Mets Hyperbole has told him.
Your marlins have been the healthiest and still managed to suck this year. What a joke lol.
The entire division has sucked so far this year. Pipe down.
@MetsFan22
The Marlins have been the healthiest?
Hmmmm…Jazz was down, Marte Down, Brian Anderson was down, Eliezer Hernandez down, Sixto down, Alfaro down, etc. etc.
Yep, seems that the Marlins have been healthy.
You always show how much knowledge you have @MetsFan22. You are awesome! You are something special!
Oh, but all they need is Linder at short and all will be fine ha ha
Tough loss as Pillar was playing really well. The Mets are just cursed with these injuries and their own incompetence generally.
I saw the game live, really brutal. Hope he’s taking just a 10 day IL trip, then comes back. Baseball can’t afford these types of injuries.
Agree but that looked to me like it would probably take a lot more than just 10 days to recover from
Yeah, multiple fractures in the nose could require metal plates, plastic surgery etc. I’d be surprised if was only a 10-day IL stint. Get well KP!
I saw it live on mlb tonight during their live look ins and boy did he start leaking immediately.
I was actually watching that game as well since the Marlins were off.
I hope that he turns out okay, but even after the physical healing is done, there may be a certain level of mental healing.
When it happened, after hoping and then seeing that he was he was somewhat okay, especially with the blood pouting out, I was thinking about Dickie Thon. Now Pillar isn’t the same caliber of player that Thons was, but a brutal hit like that will make you think about his future as a player the same way many saw Thon’s career decline massively after he was beaned.
There also has to be concern for the pitcher’s mental state as well because he was clearly shaken as well.
I am almost positive this is the second time it has happened to Pillar too.. Crazy injury and honestly hope that the pitcher is okay mentally too. He looked beyond shaken up in the dugout. Ron Darling was mentioning the mental toll it takes on the pitcher as well
That was awful to watch!! wishing Pillar well and a speedy recovery
Jay gets my vote
He does have a reputation as a hard nosed player….
Hard nosed and he gets all the breaks
It’s Puig time!
Puig is in Mexico alienating all of his teammates.
Show me please
About Puig playing in Mexico? That’s an easy Google search for you. The part of him alienating his teammates was my sarcastic comment based on his past behavior.
Prov356, I hope you are doing well, sir. It’s good to see you on here. How is everything going in your neck of the woods?
Hey YC! things are good here in Music city. We had San Diego-like weather most of the spring and now summer is creeping in. Daughter is home for the summer from college. All is good. How are you doing?
The Braves really lost to AAA Mets last night. Lol. I was expecting them to sweep us. If you look at the two lineups last night and you tell me both teams have been hit the same with injuries… you’re delusional. The Mets have gotten hit the hardest in the NL east and still in first place. Life’s great!
Hope for a speedy recovery. The man’s as tough as nails.
I would think the Twins could get 3 top 10 prospects from the Mets for Refsnyder.
LOL. Sorry, but BVW isn’t the Mets GM anymore.
Let’s hope and pray Pillar would be okay both physically and mentally. That kind of experience has messed up others before.
I know Pillar’s overall numbers weren’t that great when he was on the Giants, but I loved the way he played the game and was sad to see him go. Wishing him a speedy recovery.
Yoenis Cespedes is about to be a Met again.
Sounds like it might be time for the mets to overpay for Bryant. He’s a perfect fit – plays all 3 OF positions and 3B. What would it take for the Mets to get him.. or maybe even throw in Happ. Cubs need pitching..Peterson would be first one they should ask for ( obviously would take more than that but can’t think of any other controllable pitcher mets have that have a lot of value)
Nah. No need to panic. They’ve been crushed by injuries but are still above .500. Eventually, they’ll get healthy while other teams have to deal with injuries and things will even out a bit.
You act as if the Braves haven’t dealt with injuries this year…
Cubs record is pretty close to the Mets. Don’t see them selling…yet.
@VonPurpleHayes – I think if the cubs could get the mets to overpay they would jump on a trade in an instant. KB and Kimbrel could fetch some pretty good talent right now…in 3-4 weeks maybe not so much especially the way players are getting hurt. It would be the cubs luck to hold onto just long enough for him to get hurt and lose 75% of his value. I would love to see them make a run but have to balance that with future rosters.
Bryant is a very viable move.
WE need RBIs BADLY.
Bryant fits right in beautifully.
Sign Cespedes
Dont the mets have enough ppl on the d.l. already? They dont need to import injured players to queens.
Mets need to jump on Stokes. He’s never hit for much average, but who does anymore?
His obp is 100 points higher than his average, so he gets his walks, has plenty of extra base hits and has racked up quite a few steals in the minors.
He’s young enough that he most likely still has minor league options. His addition, or anyone else’s, I believe will require some kind of 40 man roster move. Assuming he has options left, a move back to Syracuse is just fine once (or if) the Mets ever get healthy again.
Not for nothing, but the AAA team is getting a lot of experience at the highest level. Most are young enough that all these injuries could eventually prove to be very beneficial down the road.
If any of these 25 and unders make an impression, they could prove to be valuable trade chips at the very least.
I agree with you Jim. He’s no world beater, but you could definitely do worse
Another suspicious IL trip for a Mets player. The conspiracy is real
(Sarcasm)
How many snakes have bitten the Mets this year?
None. They won the series against Arizona.
Touche’
@rodcannon
Ron Kulpa says hello.
that stinks
Time to call the Rockies and see if we can grab Charlie Blackmon for cash and a low level prospect. Up the ante if they would include Jon Gray.
It’s unrealistic to think Walker, Stroman or Peterson will make more than 22 starts. DeGrom has already missed three starts, putting him around 30. If we get lucky and Carrasco and Syndergaard come back for 14 starts each, do the math. That still leaves about 30 starts that need to be covered with a combination of all the above. Adding Gray could cover 20+ if those. This allows them to shut pitchers down and rest them for 2 weeks whenever there is any kind of tweaked injury.
Plus side, makes for an incredible post season pitching roster if they get that far. They essentially could rotate in two SP every game after twice through the lineup, eliminating any bullpen weak spots.
What exactly is preventing Walker, Stroman and Peterson from making more than 22 starts?
Talent
You have no idea what talent looks like
Not that this isn’t serious, but it could have been a lot worse. Props to Pillar for walking off on his own. I hope he’s okay. Great job by the Mets to win this game too. It was hard to watch. Blood gushing everywhere. I was hoping it was only only a broken nose. Thankfully nothing near the orbital was messed up.
Tommy Pham should be available
Pham, as an MLB player, is garbage. Hard pass.
True, but an upgrade for the Mets.
rly? He’s one of the most underrated players in the mlb
To think if Tim Tebow would’ve stuck it out in AAA and got off to a hot start, he might have had his big league chance here in this spot.
Let’s be honest, Pillar’s nose has been crowding the plate for years, only a matter of time before it got plunked…alright alright calm down it’s a joke! Don’t go cancelling me just yet! I hope he’s alright of course…maybe he’ll get some surgery done and won’t be able to smoke in the shower anymore!
@candianyankee Haha. This is very true. It’s a big schnoz. Or at least it was. Nothing wrong with a little dark humor.
Here before someone says sign cespedes
Too late
I wonder if the giants might want to hand off someone in the outfield logjam for a reliever since it has really been an Achilles heel for the team all season
That must have been hard to face. Ahem. Seriously folks, this is becoming rather alarming. To combat the upper-cut swing, pitchers are throwing up & in more. And with the greater velo these days, that is scary stuff indeed.
hopefully they bring up Cervenka soon
a fourth catcher to the 26-man active roster? It’s an outfielder they need.
I think it’s time to change the rule for HBP being just first base. Something has to give out there to stop the carnage.
How do you change a rule like this,? Give them 3rd.runners score from every base?..
What carnage? This wasnt done on purpose. Even the brave pitcher was shaken up.
I’m not entirely sure what the happy medium would be. Ground rule double? Automatic home run? Hitters will start trying to get plunked if the result is valuable enough.
I’d say, automatic home run, automatic ejection and a $250,000 fine for the baseball club for the pitcher for hitting a batter in the head. Regardless of intent. If you can’t control where your pitch is going, you don’t need to be on the mound at the MLB level. The team needs to bear some of the responsibility for promoting pitchers who don’t know where the ball is going on their 100mph fastballs.
Ground rule double and a $50,000 fine for the club for HBP in any other spot.
It doesn’t need to be “on purpose.” MLB team executives seem fine with allowing pitchers to throw at 100% effort, blow out their elbows and nearly kill batters these days. There’s an insanely high record pace of HBP this year, and HBP has been a problem for quite a few years now. HBP in 1985 was 1 in 250 AB. It was 5x higher and twice as high as the next highest year as of a May 11th article on Fangaphs.
@martras
Kind of like saying if the batter doesn’t have the reflexes to get out of the way, they don’t need to be at the major league level. A starting pitcher usually throws 100 pitches in today’s game and will have 30+ starts. Its unreasonable to expect pinpoint control on every one of those 3000 pitches. A wild pitch is a other type of pitch that gets away from the pitcher, but doesn’t hit the batter. Are you going to fine.the pitcber when that happens, too. They only count the ones that occur with runners on, right now.
No batter has the reflexes to get out of the way of a 100mph fastball flying directly at their head and rarely can they get out of the way when the ball is flying towards any other part of their body. When you see near misses at the head, batters can barely move out of the way at 80mph, let alone 90 or 100. That’s not some sort of new concept and I’m not sure why you’d even try to make the point. Batters are losing their seasons and careers to these pitches.
“Pinpoint control” isn’t something applicable when you hit a batter in the head. In regard to expecting pinpoint control, I’m not sure what you’re saying anyway. Like I noted, HBP is 1 in 50 plate appearances now vs. 1 in 250 from 1985ish and the single season record before this latest year’s pace was 1 in 103. We’re at a 2.5x higher rate of hit by pitches this season than any season in the history of baseball.
This is about preventing injury. I’m not concerned about the dirt around home plate being injured, but the strawman argument seems to signal how weak you know your position is.
It’s not the HBPs that are the problem. It’s pitchers focusing on velocity over control.
I don’t blame them. I’d rather be Edwin Diaz than mike Tomlin
I’m not sure how those two items are different. One is a result, the other is the cause.
Bigger penalties won’t deter an event that is the result of a mistake
They will when it a pitcher not controlling their pitches becomes a liability greater than an asset. If a pitchers ERA jumps 3 or 4 points because they’re hitting batters and a team is being fined, that pitcher will not longer be put on the mound.
Werent there regular everyday ppl that are on here all the time saying that the braves will sweep?
As a Braves fan as soon as this happened I didn’t care anymore about the score. I hate the Mets or any other NL East team but NO ONE should get hit above the shoulders! I truly feel for the guy. Harper got hit a few weeks ago too. Same thing never wish that on ANY player no matter what colors you wear. I’ve been saying this about my Braves all year so far need guys down in the bullpen that can throw the ball over the plate and not hit or walk guys. In today’s game everyone talks up Velo and “Great Stuff” but none of that matters when you don’t know where the ball is going upon release. I will take a guy that can pitch and induce weak contact any day over a guy that’s mid to upper 90’s with suspect control. Guys like that walk batters or even worse what happened last night. Guys like Tom Glavine, Paul Bird, heck even Greg Maddux would get passed by or not even given a fair shake today because they don’t have the “Lights Out” stuff players today are graded on. From Little League, Teener, all the way up through High School, College, and Minors should be looking into how these kids are being taught the art of pitching before god forbidden someone gets killed on National TV. SMH.
Mets MUST get Kris Bryant even if it costs 20 million, seriously!
Pillar will go on the 10 day IL.. The Mets should designate Daniel Zamora and/or Steven Tarpley, and select Mallex Smith. If Smith is still at the alternative site he’ll need to be added to the 40-man,and that would mean designating someone. He would be a good short-term answer, and Nimmo and McNeil and Davis and Guillorme (and Conforto ?) will be back so there is no need to push a panic button and claim someone else’s designated for assignment/recently released guys, nor would bringing Yasiel Puig here just to mess up the clubhouse comradery be good for this team. The Mets can’t trade prospects they don’t necessarily have, either. Mets fans just need patience while the injured heal.
I forgot Guillorme on my METS INJURY LIST
THERES SOOOOOOOO MANY
It’s time for some cellar dwellers to make some calls. AZ with Peralta, and PT with Polanco come to mind. Offer to pick up a chunk of salary and they even get a decent prospect in return.
I would LOVE TO TRADE 4
( EUGINIO SUAREZ ) while he’s having a down Yr
B4 he rights the ship and hits his yearly 30+ HRz and 90+”rbiz
DO IT NOW UNCLE STEVIE!!
M0st UNDERATTED 3RD BASEMAN IN MLB!! EVERY YEAR SUAREZ!!
I sure hope the Mets bring up Mason Williams, this team could use some Classical Gas right about now.
Saw the hit to the face, reminded me of Dicky Thon with the Astros hit in the face by a Mike Torres fastball, came back with double vision and a shell of the player He was before beaning to the head. So sad
the worst I ever saw was Jon Matlack getting hit in the head with a line drive. I thought he was dead for a second. he was really never the same after that.