Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns acknowledged the front office will reexamine how it evaluates player risk after several offseason acquisitions have remained on the injured list, the report says. The club had the worst record in Major League Baseball entering Tuesday’s series opener against the Detroit Tigers, the report says.
The report says the Mets acquired Luis Robert Jr. in a trade to start in center field despite a history of multiple IL stints; he went on the injured list again with a herniated disk in his lower back and has not shown the expected improvement. Stearns said the team is consulting with specialists for Robert’s back and that a timetable for his return remains unclear.
Lack of progress on Robert’s recovery contributed to the decision to promote A.J. Ewing for his major league debut after 12 games in Triple-A, the report says. “We would not have made the decision if we didn’t feel A.J. was ready to make the jump, so that’s first and foremost,” Stearns said, adding the club’s situation and the opportunity were factors in the move.
The Mets signed Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million contract to play first base after several prior IL stints for back, knee and hamstring injuries, the report says. Polanco was placed on the injured list with a bruised right wrist and Achilles bursitis after 14 games and two at first base; he has been cleared for baseball activities and took batting practice from the left side, but the bursitis continues to flare up.
Stearns said, “We need to get asymptomatic with the ankle and with the bursitis. We’re not there yet. We have really good days, and then it flares up,” the report says. Injuries, coupled with underperformance, have hindered the Mets’ offense and contributed to a 15-25, last-place start, per the report.
The report says Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor have both spent time on the injured list; Soto missed more than two weeks with a calf strain, and Lindor remains on the IL with a more severe calf strain after being placed on the IL and spending a week in a walking boot. Manager Carlos Mendoza said Lindor is feeling “better” and is scheduled to undergo another MRI, with Stearns adding the exam will help “map out what a return to play looks like,” the report says.
