The Mets found themselves entering their second World Series rematch of the season against the Royals not quite in panic mode, but certainly in need of some good news. New York had lost six of their last eight games prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Royals.
The good news is that the Mets have won both of their games against the Royals this go around, after splitting the season-opening series against the reigning World Series champs. The victories came at a cost, though. Tuesday’s starter, Bartolo Colon left after facing just one batter with a thumb injury. The injury was incurred after Colon took a comebacker hit by Royals leadoff man, Whit Merrifield, off the thumb. Luckily, for both Colon and the Mets, the x-rays on the thumb came back negative; manager Terry Collins expects to see Colon make his next regularly scheduled start on Sunday, in Atlanta.
However, Colon wasn’t the only player to be bitten by the injury bug against Kansas City. Wednesday’s concluding game took its toll too, seeing both starter Noah Syndergaard, and top hitter Yoenis Cespedes leave the game with injuries. Both players were pulled in the sixth inning, Syndergaard surrendered three runs on eight hits before leaving the game with right elbow discomfort. This isn’t the first time Syndergaard has been checked for this ailment, also doing so after his May 1 start but not missing any scheduled time.
Cespedes’ injury isn’t a new one, as he had similar troubles last year, but the injury had been dormant so far in 2016. Cespedes was 2-for-2 with a walk by the time he left, and was replaced by Alejandro de Aza for the remainder of the game. Both were sent to visit the team doctor on Wednesday night.
The Mets’ preexisting injury situation wasn’t in the prettiest of states, either. While catcher Travis D’Arnaud was reactivated from the DL on Tuesday, team captain David Wright and first baseman Lucas Duda currently reside on the 15 day DL. Along with them, outfielder Juan Lagares and reliever Jim Henderson are also on the 15-day DL, while starter Zack Wheeler is on the 60-day DL.
Cespedes is the best hitter on the Mets roster, statistically, leading the team in batting average, RBIs, home runs, and on-base percentage. Depending on the severity of the injury, this injury could further the Mets’ interest in former Met and current player in the Colorado Rockies organization, Jose Reyes. Reyes played with the Mets from 2003-2011, and played just 47 games with the Rockies in 2015. He hasn’t seen any Major League action so far in 2016 after a domestic violence claim cost kept him off the field. Reyes is slated to become a free agent on Saturday, and has voiced interest in reuniting with his former club.
Also thrown into the mix is ex-Cuban infielder, Yulieski Gourriel, who is scheduled to work out with the Mets. Even if Cespedes’ injury does not prove to last long, the Mets offense is in a sorry state regardless, so the Mets could feel compelled to make a move to acquire whichever of the two the organization feels can best suit their needs at the dish while not being a liability in the field.
Data from ESPN.com was used in this report.
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