Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Lagares added to list of injured Mets
Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets celebrates his seventh-inning, pinch-hit, game-tying, three-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds with teammates Juan Lagares and Kevin Plawecki at Citi Field on Tuesday, April 26, 2016. Credit: Jim McIsaac
MIAMI — Yoenis Cespedes and Juan Lagares could be out of the lineup Sunday when the Mets face the Marlins and ace Jose Fernandez.
Cespedes is day-to-day with soreness in his right hip, which prompted the Mets to scratch him 30 minutes before game time. Lagares is scheduled to have his left thumb examined after injuring it on a diving catch in Saturday’s 6-4 win over the Marlins.
With David Wright, Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud already out, the Mets can ill afford more major injuries. Cespedes is the fourth Mets starter dealing with an injury, though his issue appears less severe.
“I’m not really concerned,” Cespedes said through a translator. “This has happened to me like three other times. It happened in the offseason, it happened during spring training, and one other time before. I know it goes away after some rest.”
Terry Collins said Cespedes had treatment in an attempt to stay in the lineup, but it did little good. He is hitting .278 with 15 homers and 37 RBIs but was not available off the bench. He was replaced in the lineup by Michael Conforto, who knocked in a pair of runs.
“I don’t know if it will be long,” Collins said of a potential absence. As for a return, the manager said, “I don’t know if it will be tomorrow.”
Lagares, a former Gold Glover, stifled a Marlins rally in the sixth inning with a sprawling effort to rob Ichiro Suzuki of a run-scoring hit. But the centerfielder jammed his left thumb on the play.
After the catch, Lagares hit once with no issue. But when his turn came up again in the eighth, he was lifted for Matt Reynolds, who got the go-ahead hit. Collins said Lagares had trouble holding the bat.
“I just felt a little weird,” said Lagares, who complained of numbness in his thumb. “I just didn’t want to take a chance.”
