Not All The News Is Good: Mets' Reliever Jerry Blevins Re-Fractures Pitching Arm
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Jerry Blevins is a key part of the Mets' bullpen, so much so that the team struggled mightily to replace him after he broke his pitching arm in April.
The hope was that the lefty specialist would return in time for the September stretch run, but that idea was squashed on Thursday when the Mets announced that Blevins re-fractured the same arm on Monday after stepping off a curb. He will have surgery next week and could be out for the rest of the season, the team said.
The 31-year-old southpaw was 1-0 and had retired all 15 batters he had faced to begin the season before suffering a distal radius fracture when hit with a come-backer off the bat of Miami's Dee Gordon on April 19.
Blevins, who has a 3.53 ERA with 309 strikeouts in 329 career innings, was acquired from the Washington Nationals during offseason in exchange for outfielder Matt den Dekker.
The Mets had been counting on Blevins' return, but still swung a deal Tuesday with Oakland for Eric O'Flaherty, who joins Sean Gilmartin as New York's two lefties in the bullpen.
O'Flaherty made his debut with the club on Wednesday and was shelled for four earned runs and four hits over just two-thirds of an inning in the Mets' 8-6 win in Miami.
The Mets entered Thursday's off day with a two-game lead over the Nationals atop the NL East.
