HOUSTON (AP) - Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez has a torn thumb ligament in his pitching hand and will need surgery to repair the injury, which presumably was sustained when punching his girlfriend’s father at Citi Field.
The Mets announced the injury before Monday night’s game at the Houston Astros. They said the reliever didn’t travel to Texas with the team.
K-Rod was examined Monday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, and the Mets said an MRI revealed the injury in his right hand.
Rodriguez was suspended for two days without pay following the fight outside a family room at the ballpark last Wednesday.
He apologized to teammates and fans, then gave up a leadoff double but didn’t allow a run in a 4-0 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday.
The 28-year-old reliever was arrested and charged with third-degree assault following the right. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court Sept. 14.
Rodriguez is accused of grabbing 53-year-old Carlos Pena, hauling him into a tunnel near the family lounge beneath Citi Field and hitting him in the face. Pena was taken to a hospital with a scrape and swelling above his eyebrow.
New York put the four-time All-Star on the restricted list without pay for two days, costing him $125,683 of his $11.5 million salary.
At 58-59, the Mets began Monday third in the NL East. They are 10 games behind division-leading Atlanta. In Rodriguez’s absence, they got complete-game shutouts from Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey, but now they likely will be without their closer for an extended period.
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