Crisis Averted: Mets Say Syndergaard, Cespedes And Wheeler Are Fine
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Fear was the word of the day among Mets fans Wednesday after a slew of vital players made unexpected visits to doctors.
But there appears to be nothing to worry about. The team later confirmed that Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes and Zack Wheeler will get back to business as usual sooner rather than later.
Syndergaard has been the unquestioned ace of the Mets' staff so far, but he left Wednesday's start against Kansas City after six innings due to an apparent elbow problem. An MRI later revealed no structural damage and he is expected to resume normal activities as early as Thursday.
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Cespedes, one of the few big hitters in the lineup who has avoided injury to this point, reported left wrist discomfort, but was diagnosed with a mild sprain and received a cortisone shot. Though he likely will not play Thursday when the Mets open a series in Atlanta, his time out of the lineup is expected to be brief.
Still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, Wheeler was diagnosed with a sensory nerve issue and will likely resume his rehabilitation in the coming days.
The news comes as welcome relief to the Mets, who have dealt with one injury after another through the first two-plus months of the regular season. New York, which is expected to challenge for another NL pennant, has been forced to piece together a lineup on a daily basis due to injuries to, among others, Lucas Duda, Travis d'Arnaud, David Wright and Juan Lagares.
As for the pitching staff, left-hander Steven Matz has been dealing with elbow discomfort and right-hander Bartolo Colon took a line drive off his pitching hand earlier in the week that isn't expected to cost him any time, but will need to be monitored.
The Mets will begin play Thursday 3 1/2 games out of first place in the NL East.
