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Mets Place Jason Bay On DL, Lucas Duda On Roster

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (WFAN/AP) — It's official, Jason Bay will miss the Mets' opener.

The team officially placed him on the 15-day disabled list Thursday. New York backdated the move to March 25, making Bay eligible to return April 9.

"It's nothing big but it's the rib cage, so you're moving around and it makes it a little tough," Bay said on Thursday. "In talking to the doctors they think it's very reasonable to think that I could be out there for (April 9), which would be nice."

Bay felt discomfort on his left side Tuesday and was pulled from the lineup. The left fielder had tests on his strained rib cage Wednesday in New York.

"There's never a really good time to get injured, especially two days before the season starts, especially for me who wanted to kind of get back out there. It was a little bit of a hit. At the same time, we're trying to do the thing where if I need an extra day now rather than missing a month," said Bay. "It's one of those things I've never had it before. I'm kind of playing it by ear, listening to the doctors and we'll go from there. I'm anticipating being out there next Saturday, which would be my goal. See how it goes."

The Mets open the regular season Friday night at Florida. With Bay on the DL, Lucas Duda was added to the Mets' the 25-man roster.

"It was devastating at first," said Bay. "You put in all that time in the offseason. You come off a concussion. And then all of the sudden you come into spring, the last week or so of spring, and you kind of felt like I was starting to catch a stride ... and all of the sudden just have a derailment."

It is still unclear whether the latest problem is related to the back stiffness that shelved Bay on Saturday and Sunday.

Nick Evans, who also would have been an option to replace Bay, cleared waivers and has accepted the team's decision to outright him to Triple-A Buffalo.

Will Bay make it back by April 9? Make your prediction in the comments below...

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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