Mets put Young on DL again
The Mets have placed starter Chris Young on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder tightness. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Mets general manager Sandy Alderson could offer no specifics on Chris Young's status, only that he doesn't expect to see the oft-injured righthander on the mound anytime soon.
Young was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 2, before Sunday's loss to the Dodgers with "tightness in the back of his shoulder." But after the game, Alderson disclosed that MRI results show swelling in "the area of an old injury." Young will seek a second opinion Monday.
"We're not sure of the extent of this injury," Alderson said. "I'd be very surprised if he's ready to go at the end of the 10 days we have left."
The Mets activated lefty Pat Misch and moved Johan Santana (shoulder surgery) to the 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster. The one positive in all this, said Alderson, is Dillon Gee, who will take Young's spot in the rotation. Gee (2-0, 3.80 ERA), who made an emergency start Saturday, has pitched six or more innings in six of his eight major-league starts. Misch will be used as a reliever.
Young, who dealt with nagging shoulder injuries during his last three years with San Diego and underwent arthroscopic surgery in 2009, also was placed on the 15-day disabled list April 16 because of biceps tendinitis. Given the pitcher's injury history, Alderson said he's neither surprised nor frustrated.
"[Young] was frustrated over the little things that have taken place over the first month of the season," Alderson said. "Obviously, he's pitched very well when he's pitched. This could be a little more significant than anything we've seen the first few weeks. We're just going to have to wait.
"The question is whether this is a new injury, or whether it's an aggravation of the old injury, or whether it's just sort of an acute response to a chronic condition."
Beltran sits
For the first time in 21 games, Carlos Beltran didn't start. Not because he asked for a day off, but because manager Terry Collins thought "it would be the perfect time" to rest the veteran rightfielder.
Asked about Beltran's durability, Collins said during spring training he didn't think it would be possible for him to play this often.
"I thought for sure [he'd] spend the first month playing three or four and then taking a day off," Collins said of Beltran, whose home hitting streak ended at 11 games when he flew out as a pinch hitter in the ninth. "He's the one who's stepped up and handled it."
