Robinson Cano OK after another hand scare
Mets second baseman Robinson Cano takes his left glove off after being hit in the hand with a ball while at bat during the first inning against the Brewers in a game at Citi Field on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The bad news for Robinson Cano was that his left hand still was a bit swollen and sore Monday. The good news was that that is the extent of the damage.
After Cano was hit on the hand by Gio Gonzalez’s fastball Sunday, more tests, including an MRI, confirmed what the initial negative X-rays said: no break, no fracture, no big deal.
“It’s a huge relief. The last thing you want is to be out,” said Cano, who had surgery on his broken right hand last year. “This is a situation that you don’t want to go through again.”
Manager Mickey Callaway said: “Big exhale . . . You hold your breath for a minute about these kind of things, maybe for 12 hours where he’s trying to figure out what’s going on. It is a big sigh of relief when you find out good news like that.”
Cano was out of the lineup Monday as the Mets opened a four-game series against the Reds, but he said he hopes to miss only a day or two.
This is the second week in a row Cano survived a hand scare. Last Sunday and Monday, he went through the same routine: X-rays after getting hit by a pitch on the right hand, followed by next-day tests, then peace of mind.
Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo are among the Mets who also have been hit on the hand by pitches recently.
Cano said he is going to look into wearing a piece of protective equipment to try to prevent such issues. He won’t change the way he behaves while batting, though.
“I’ve been getting hit every week. I’ve got to figure out a way before something major happens,” he said. “It’s part of the game. I would say, the more I get hit, the more angry [I get and] I want to get a hit. So I’m just going to be the same. It’s not a thing that you can control. I don’t want to change anything.”
After getting off to a slow start in his first season with the Mets, Cano is getting closer to his usual numbers and is at .270/324/.430 in 26 games. He has three homers and 11 RBIs.
Cano is on milestone watch, too. He has 2,497 career hits and 1,197 career runs. With three more hits, Cano will become the 101st major-leaguer to reach 2,500. Only three active big-leaguers — Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler — have scored 1,200 runs.
Cespedes visits again
Yoenis Cespedes is visiting the Mets at Citi Field during this four-game series against the Reds, part of their effort to help him stay connected with the team while he spends most of his time in Port St. Lucie. He did the same when the Mets were in Miami at the start of the month.
The Mets don’t provide significant updates on Cespedes’ rehab after his heel surgeries last fall, but he has been hitting in the cage and throwing.
Extra bases
Edwin Diaz got good news over the weekend: His mother, Beatriz, is cancer-free after fighting the disease since July . . . Justin Wilson (sore elbow) threw off a mound Monday but likely won’t be activated from the injured list when he is eligible Tuesday. “I’m sure it’ll be a little longer,” Callaway said, noting that it doesn’t make sense to bring Wilson back the first day after a bullpen session . . . During batting practice, Dominic Smith wore his plastic “WINNER” medal that he won in the Mets’ cake-baking competition during spring training. “I’ve got to remind everybody,” he said with a big smile . . . Actor/Mets fan Gaten Matarazzo, of “Stranger Things” fame, threw out the first pitch.
