MIAMI (AP) - The New York Mets suddenly found themselves down two catchers Wednesday, yet relieved the situation wasn’t even worse.
Travis d’Arnaud went on the disabled list for the fifth consecutive year with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and surgery is possible.
His replacement, Kevin Plawecki, was hit by a pitch on the left hand hours later in the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins and left the game. The Mets breathed a sigh of relief when X-rays were negative, and are hopeful Plawecki won’t be sidelined for long.
“That’s a big one,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “I was worried about that the rest of the game once he came out. To lose two catchers would be tough.”
Plawecki was “pretty sore,” Callaway said, and might miss some playing time. Tomas Nido replaced him after being recalled from Double-A Binghamton earlier in the day.
D’Arnaud underwent an MRI in New York, and the severity of his injury was a surprise. But Callaway said d’Arnaud’s throwing had recently been hampered.
“Just getting the ball there seemed to be an issue early in the season,” Callaway said. “There was some concern there. I hate that it ended up with this.”
A decision on surgery, which could be season-ending, or rest as the course of treatment will be made within a few days.
“The doctors obviously will have conversations with Travis, and then Travis has to make that tough decision,” Callaway said. “That’s a long road if he goes the surgery route.”
The injury was a big setback for a team off to a 9-1 start, the best in franchise history.
D’Arnaud is 3 for 15 (.200) with one homer and three RBIs in four games this year.
While at Triple-A, he missed the second half of the 2012 season because of a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He made his big league debut with the Mets the following year, and in 2014 was sidelined in May with a concussion.
He was on the DL in 2015 from April 21-June 10 with a broken finger on his right hand and from June 21-July 30 with a strained left elbow, then in 2016 from April 26-June 26 with a strained right rotator cuff.
He was out from May 5-24 last year with a bruised right wrist.
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