Jacob deGrom might miss more starts
Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets looks on during the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The well-oiled machine is starting to look like a rundown jalopy. Jacob deGrom might miss more starts than originally expected, yet another blow to the Mets’ injury-ravaged rotation, Terry Collins said Sunday.
DeGrom, ruled out for his scheduled start Tuesday with a sore forearm, will be re-evaluated Wednesday, and Collins said it’s “very possible” he could miss at least his next start after that.
“He’s resting right now,” Collins said. “We want him to rest, to take four days of some medicine to see if we can calm this down, and most likely, I’d say Wednesday, maybe start to see where he’s at.”
DeGrom previously had said he was not concerned about the injury, and test results revealed no structural damage.
No set plan in outfield
Collins said he won’t be rigid in the way he uses his glut of outfielders, instead preferring to play matchups or ride a hot hand as the Mets try to claw their way into a playoff berth.
“We’ve got a lot of pieces, and what I’m hoping is that somebody gets hot and we can kind of mix and match one spot,” he said. “It’s an interesting day every day when we come in to figure outside of [Yoenis Cespedes] who to play . . . We have to get everybody at-bats to keep them as sharp as we can. It’s not just a straight ‘split this rightfield up.’ We’ve got to look at all three spots.”
Mets’ long haul
Expect to see some bleary eyes Monday afternoon when the Mets open their series against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Because Sunday’s game was moved to 8:08 p.m. to be nationally televised, the Mets didn’t expect to get to Cincinnati until at least 3 a.m., and that was the best-case scenario. With Hermine off the coast, it’s also possible that their flight would be delayed, Collins said, meaning the Mets will have scant hours of rest before reporting to the ballpark at 11:30 a.m. for their day game.
“These guys, they’re pretty wound up when the game is over,” Collins said. “They’re not going to board that plane tonight and go right to sleep . . . We’ve got to make sure there’s at least a little bit of time where they can get some rest.’’
With David Lennon
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
