Robinson Cano and Amed Rosario out, Todd Frazier in Mets' lineup vs. Phillies
The Mets' Robinson Cano doubles over after being injured while batting during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, April 21, 2019, in St. Louis.
Robinson Cano and Amed Rosario were both out of the lineup for the Mets’ scheduled series opener against the Phillies at Citi Field on Monday night and lefthander Justin Wilson went on the injured list with a sore left elbow.
Cano was still feeling tender after getting hit in the right hand with a pitch on Sunday. X-rays taken on Sunday in St. Louis were negative. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen said the Mets hoped to have Cano available as a pinch hitter.
Rosario was out with what Van Wagenen called a flu-like illness with gastric distress. The Mets made a flurry of roster moves to give themselves enough infielders to take on the Phillies.
Todd Frazier was activated from his minor-league rehab stint and was in the lineup at third base. Luis Guillorme was called up from Triple-A Syracuse to start at shortstop.
Jeff McNeil replaced Cano at second base. The Mets waited until nearly 5:45 p.m. to announce the roster moves and lineup because they were waiting to see how Cano would feel during indoor batting practice.
“He had a little bit of residual soreness,” Van Wagenen said. “But we’re hopeful he can contribute either later today or be back in there tomorrow. But we’ll continue to see how he’s feeling.”
To add the two infielders, the Mets put Wilson on the injured list retroactive to Saturday and sent righthander Paul Sewald to Syracuse.
Van Wagenen said Wilson had an MRI on Monday that showed no structural damage. Wilson, 31, last pitched on Friday. He is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA and one save in nine appearances.
“He had some elbow soreness on Friday and didn’t pitch the last couple of days,” Van Wagenen said. “He saw the doctor today. The MRI was positive, meaning, I guess, negative for damage. But we got good results there that hopefully he’ll take a few days off and then we’ll be able to activate him hopefully when he’s eligible.”
The roster shuffling gave the Mets an 11-man pitching staff with 14 position players.
Frazier’s return meant a seat on the bench — for one night at least — for J.D. Davis, who had been playing third base along with McNeil. Davis went into Monday batting .273 with three home runs, seven RBIs and an .876 OPS.
While Frazier will take some playing time away from Davis, manager Mickey Callaway said McNeil’s playing time won’t be affected. McNeil, who went into Monday batting .371, will still see time at third, second and leftfield.
The Mets also are planning to have Davis take fly balls in the outfield, but Callaway said he’s not ready to use him there in a game yet.
Frazier missed the start of the season because of a strained left oblique muscle. He hit a combined .238 (10-for-42) with one home run and nine RBIs in 13 minor-league rehab games for Class A St. Lucie and Syracuse.
Frazier played third, first and (in a surprise) shortstop during his rehab assignment. With Guillorme recalled, the Mets once again have a backup for Rosario, so it’s unlikely Frazier will play short except in an emergency.
Frazier, who is in the last year of his contract, is just happy to be back in the bigs.
“Really excited,” he said. “Good to see the boys . . . I was in Port St. Lucie for about 11 weeks. That’s way too long. Couple days in Syracuse and I knew once I got there it was only a matter of time. Can’t look back. I look forward and I’m ready to rock.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
