- Mets first baseman Lucas Duda, on the disabled list since April 21 with a hyperextended left elbow, will stay on the DL beyond the 10-day mark. Duda felt a “twinge” in his elbow after playing a rehab game Friday, and the Mets have shut him down until Tuesday as a result, per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. The Mets’ offense is just 17th in the majors in runs and 26th in wRC+, so a longer-than-expected absence for Duda isn’t optimal (especially with Yoenis Cespedes also out). With a .238/.360/.571 line in 50 trips to the plate, Duda has been one of the slow-starting club’s top performers this year.
Mets Rumors
Alderson On Matz, Lugo, Familia, Duda, Flores
Mets GM Sandy Alderson spoke to reporters, including the Daily News’ Kristie Ackert, today. We already noted that Alderson said the team doesn’t think Yoenis Cespedes’ hamstring injury is very serious, but here’s more of what he related about the Mets’ outlook.
- Lefty Steven Matz (who has been dealing with discomfort in his pitching elbow) and righty Seth Lugo (partially torn UCL) are both throwing up to 200 feet from flat ground and will begin throwing off the slope of the mound soon — perhaps tomorrow, Alderson said. Neither pitcher has yet appeared in a game this season; Lugo is trying to avoid Tommy John surgery with a platelet-rich plasma injection and rest. “The further along he gets the more optimistic we become,” said Alderson.
- Alderson seemingly did not offer a full vote of confidence in closer Jeurys Familia, who has walked six batters in his first four innings this year after missing the first two weeks of the season to a domestic-violence suspension. “As of right now, do we have a closer? You tell me,” Alderson said. Nonetheless, Alderson said he is hoping for “things to settle in a little bit” and added that the Mets are not looking for bullpen help right now. Addison Reed, who collected four saves in the early going, would presumably close if Familia were to be bumped, temporarily or not, from the role.
- First baseman Lucas Duda (hyperextended left elbow) played in his first game on a rehab assignment with Class A+ St. Lucie yesterday, and Alderson is hopeful that Duda can soon return to the big leagues. “He played last night. His comment after was he felt just about 100%, so hopefully it’s in the next two or three days,” said Alderson. “Monday might be a little early, but we’ll see.” Duda was off to a .238/.360/.571 start when the Mets placed him on the DL last Friday.
- Infielder Wilmer Flores (right knee infection) will soon start a rehab assignment of his own, Alderson said. Flores hit the DL last Friday, the same day as Duda.
Mets Don't See Cespedes' Hamstring Injury As Serious
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters, including James Wagner of the New York Times (on Twitter), that he doesn’t think the hamstring injury that placed star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on the DL is particularly serious. Cespedes was placed on the DL yesterday, so he’ll be eligible to return May 8. Cespedes was off to a hot start this season, batting .270/.373/.619 with six home runs in the early going.
Mets Injury Notes: Syndergaard, Duda
- First baseman Lucas Duda is also nearing a return for the Mets. He started a rehab assignment this evening and played for six innings. Given the fairly limited duration of his layoff for a hyperextended elbow, it seems reasonable to think he’ll be back up in just a few days.
Mets Place Yoenis Cespedes On Disabled List
6:30pm: The injury is to a different part of the hamstring than was previously impacted, manager Terry Collins told reporters including James Wagner of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
1:49pm: The Mets have announced the move to place Cespedes on the DL. Lefty Sean Gilmartin will join the team in his place.
1:37pm: The Mets will place outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on the disabled list this afternoon, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). There’s no word yet on the extent of the injury to Cespedes’ hamstring, but he was slated to undergo an MRI to evaluate the issue earlier today, and manager Terry Collins suggested yesterday that he expected Cespedes to hit the DL. Heyman adds that the Mets are considering calling up a pitcher from the minors as a corresponding move for Cespedes’ injury.
Cespedes missed several games over the past week with a hamstring issue, including the entirety of a pivotal series with the division-leading Nationals. The slugger returned to the lineup yesterday and went 1-for-2 with a double, but he appeared to aggravate his hamstring while running out that extra-base hit. Cespedes was helped off the field by the Mets’ training staff after hobbling into second base.
With Cespedes out earlier this week, the Mets kept Jay Bruce at first base and turned to an outfield alignment of Michael Conforto in left field, Juan Lagares in center and Curtis Granderson in right. That arrangement could well hold up now that Cespedes is once again sidelined, though Heyman notes in a second tweet that Lucas Duda is beginning a rehab assignment and could rejoin the team soon, which would allow the club to work Bruce back into the outfield mix if desired.
Cespedes Slated For MRI On Ailing Hamstring; Trip To DL Possible
3:20pm: Cespedes will undergo another MRI on Friday to reevaluate his hamstring, tweets MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “There’s no indication for how long it will be,” manager Terry Collins told New York reporters (via DiComo). However, Collins’ assumption is that Cespedes will land on the disabled list, Carig tweets. Collins added that Cespedes could be “out a while,” tweets James Wagner of the New York Times.
1:47pm: Mets star Yoenis Cespedes has left today’s game with what is being called a left hamstring pull, as the SNY broadcast team reports (and Marc Carig of Newday tweets). He pulled up while running out a double.
As ever, we’ll need to await further word before reaching any conclusions as to how this might impact the team. But there’s added and more obvious concern here since Cespedes had already been dealing with a hamstring issue that kept him out for three games. Last year, Cespedes ended up missing a significant stretch due to a leg muscle injury, though in that case it was a quad problem.
It’s far too soon to know how significant the injury is, but clearly it’s a major concern for a Mets club that has had its fair share of issues in the early going. In addition to on-field struggles, the organization has been beset by a variety of worrying injury situations.
Several other players are also dealing with maladies, but two new concerns arose today. Before Cespedes went down, ace righty Noah Syndergaard was scratched with discomfort in his biceps. Fortunately, there’s no reason at present to fear that either issue will turn out to be something major. But there’s increasingly little margin for error in New York. Though it’s still early, the Mets will slip into the NL East basement if they can’t come back in today’s game against the Braves.
Noah Syndergaard Scratched With Biceps Discomfort
The Mets have scratched star righty Noah Syndergaard from his scheduled start today, manager Terry Collins told reporters including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (Twitter links) and SNY’s Steve Gelbs (via Twitter). Syndergaard is dealing with discomfort in his right biceps, likely caused by tendinitis, leading to what Collins phrased a “tired arm.”
At this time, it’s not known whether this is more than a single-start blip, or whether there’s cause for greater concern. The Mets will surely take a cautious route regardless; as Collins put it, “we can’t take a chance on this guy.”
Matt Harvey will take the ball in Syndergaard’s place. This is the second time that Harvey has been moved up to cover for an injury. Fortunately, the last time, Jacob deGrom needed only a bit of extra rest. Harvey, deGrom, and Syndergaard have been excellent even as the club has staggered to an 8-12 record to open the year. Clearly, the Mets can scarcely afford to lose any of the three; though it’s plenty early, the club is already 6.5 games back of the Nationals in the NL East.
It’s certainly possible that Syndergaard could follow deGrom in making a swift return. Indeed, Syndergaard could be cleared to throw by this weekend, which seems to be his own expectation. (Twitter links via DiComo.) But the organization has ordered up an MRI to make sure there isn’t a more significant problem causing the discomfort.
More broadly, rotation depth continues to be a concern for the Mets, who received a dud of an outing last night from Robert Gsellman. He and Zack Wheeler haven’t produced quite the results hoped for, though their peripherals suggest cause for optimism moving forward. Of greater concern, the organization seemingly still doesn’t know when it’ll welcome back Steven Matz and Seth Lugo to the rotation mix.
Matz, Lugo Ready To Throw Off Mound
- Injured Mets pitchers Steven Matz and Seth Lugo are both ready to begin throwing off a mound, tweets MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. Both pitchers have been throwing from 120 feet and reported no discomfort following those sessions. Matz has been on the disabled list with an elbow injury, though there’s been some debate about the specific nature of the ailment. Lugo, meanwhile, was diagnosed with a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, though to this point surgery seemingly isn’t being considered as an option.
Yoenis Cespedes Likely To Avoid DL
Yoenis Cespedes was out of the Mets’ lineup for the third straight game Sunday, leaving manager Terry Collins to acknowledge that the left fielder could head to the disabled list if his left hamstring issue doesn’t heal by Tuesday (via ESPN.com). “I think we’d need to take a look at that,” Collins said of a potential DL stint for Cespedes, who did tell the skipper he “felt a lot better” Sunday. Cespedes has mashed this season for the slow-starting Mets (.263/.377/.632 with six home runs in 69 plate appearances), but they’re nonetheless decently equipped to handle his short-term absence. Michael Conforto, Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson and Juan Lagares give the Cespedes-less club a full complement of major league-caliber outfielders. (Update: Cespedes expects to return Tuesday, tweets Matt Ehalt of The Record.)
Mets Not Considering Releasing Jose Reyes
- With an .095/.186/.127 batting line in 70 plate appearances, Mets infielder Jose Reyes has been among the majors’ worst players this year. Nevertheless, the Mets aren’t considering releasing the 33-year-old, according to Newsday’s Marc Carig, who casts doubt on the possibility of the team cutting him even if his performance doesn’t improve soon. Reyes makes a minimum salary and is a speedy switch-hitter who can play shortstop, all of which are facts that work in his favor, Carig writes. While the Mets have an elite shortstop prospect in Amed Rosario, who has slashed .355/.382/.353 in 55 PAs this season, a promotion for him isn’t imminent, sources told Carig. The Mets don’t want to rush either the 21-year-old Rosario or first base prospect Dominic Smith (also 21) to the majors.
