21
2013
Spring Notes: Turner Could Spell Murphy At Second, Official Announcement On Santana Coming
An article by 
Updated 11:00 AM – Here are the latest injury updates and other news from PSL this morning…
Justin Turner
According to Jorge Castillo of the Star Ledger, there’s a good possibility that if David Wright is ready for Opening Day and Daniel Murphy is not, Justin Turner could start at second base. In that scenario, Jordany Valdespin would start in center field instead of Collin Cowgill, with Lucas Duda and Marlon Byrd at left and right.
Turner, who batted .269 with two home runs and 19 RBI last season, didn’t travel with the team to Kissimmee, Florida last night when the Mets played the Astros, but is said to be recovering
There are some growing concerns surrounding right-hander Shaun Marcum, who was signed to replace R.A. Dickey in the rotation. Marcum has already missed a couple of starts to strengthen his shoulder at the start of Grapefruit League play. Today, we learned that he received a cortisone injection for a right shoulder impingement at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
The righthander has been scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday and he will be replaced by Jeremy Hefner instead. Sandy Alderson told reporters that the cortisone shot was “precautionary,” and Marcum is expected to resume throwing in a couple of days.
The Mets signed Marcum despite a long history of elbow and shoulder injuries. He is 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA in three spring starts and it’s not clear when he will pitch in a Grapefruit League again. Collins speculated he could start again on March 26, four days before Opening day.
Johan Santana
Terry Collins will officially announce his rotation in the next day or two according to what he told beat writers this morning. The team is also going to face the music and finally announce what most have known since the start of Spring Training – that Johan Santana will open the season on the disabled list.
Santana hasn’t pitched in over two weeks and whenever he does get back on the mound he will have to be gradually stretched out which is what Spring Training is all about. The problem is that it looks like that process will not begin until after the season starts and not before.
Daniel Murphy
On Wednesday, Mets manager Terry Collins announced that Daniel Murphy is still not close to being on the field and does not expect him to be on the Opening Day lineup. Murphy continues to suffer from a strained intercostal and has not had one at-bat in a game all spring.
After appearing in a minor league game last week, in which he was not allowed to bat, he has been shutdown indefinitely. The Mets’ second baseman is still receiving treatment and complains of stiffness and soreness. Jordany Valdespin would most likely replace Murphy at second base to start the season.
David Wright
Wright has spent the last five days receiving treatment for the strained muscle in his rib cage. He says he still believes that he will be at third base for the season opener, but Wright’s has always been an optimist.
MMO beat writer John Delcos reported to us that if Wright doesn’t come back before the start of the season, and there aren’t any indications he is going to, he will be rested for two weeks before beginning baseball activities. He also said that at the time of the injury GM Sandy Alderson said Wright would rest from three to five days, however Thursday will be the seventh day.
It’s still unclear who would replace Wright at third base, but the most likely candidate seems to be Collins’ favorite Justin Turner who has been sidelined since Saturday. Another option could be Zach Lutz.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis
Outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis went 1-for-5 in a minor-league game on Wednesday. It was his first game action since suffering a bone bruise in his left knee on March 3. Nieuwenhuis did not play in the field and was the designated hitter.
He has missed so much time this spring, that he is in danger of starting the season in Triple-A Las Vegas. Players like Valdespin, Collin Cowgill and Marlon Byrd have all passed him up on the depth chart and his future with the Mets is now cloudy at best.
Frank Francisco
Frank Francisco says he is progressing as he returns from elbow inflammation, but after throwing a bullpen session on Saturday he reported feeling pain. He’s told the Mets that he will not rush his comeback and wants to take his time. He reports feeling a “sting” whenever he throws his fastball.
Francisco, who is owed $6.5 million for this season, was shut down upon reporting to spring training due to elbow inflammation. He underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his right elbow in December and is coming off a season in which he produced a 5.53 ERA as the Mets closer, but was the least effective reliever in the bullpen.
There’s nobody who believes he will not begin the season on the disabled list. “I don’t know. No idea,” Francisco said when asked if he’ll be ready for Opening day.
Final Thoughts
The Shaun Marcum situation adds a new wrinkle to the Mets’ rotation concerns. Jonathon Niese has already been tabbed to be the Opening day starter and it was believed that Marcum would pitch in Game 2 against the Padres. I can’t see that happening at this point and it looks more likely to me that Matt Harvey will follow Niese in the rotation. That’s a lot of pressure to perform from the two youngest arms in the rotation who will go up against the opposition’s top of the rotation starters.
Dillon Gee got roughed up again and is still trying to comeback from serious surgery in his right arm to remove a dangerous blood clot. Jeremy Hefner will be asked to carry a heavy load as well. If the Mets were to dig deep for a replacement if Marcum isn’t ready, My best guess is that it will be Collin McHugh.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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That’s too bad because McHugh stinks. If you could throw three starters out there (Niese, Harvey, Gee) you can try to patch it up. But when you only have 2 that are worth a damn, you are up the creek. Not a Hefner fan but he is not bad. Unless Gee comes around, a crap start to the season is virtually guaranteed. Marcum was a risk when they signed him. Santana is shot. Wheeler will be here as soon as it is advantageous contract-wise.
JDON, IT ISN’T A MATTER OF “BEING A FAN” OF ANY REPLACEMENT PLAYER @ THIS POINT; HOWEVER IT CERTAINLY I A MATTER OF GETING A JOB DIONE WITH A MODICUM OF POTENTIAL SUCCESS WHICH I BELIEVE THEW LIKES OF HEFNER, LAFFEY & TO A DEGREE McHUFGH DO BRING TO THE DIRE SITUATION; HOWEVER MOST TEAMS DON’T REQUIRE A FULL 5 MAN ROTATION IN APRIL.
WITH 3 GOOD TO GO HARVEY,NIESE,GEE I’M COMFORTABLE THAT 1 OF THE 3 MENTIONED OPTIONS CAN FET US TO THE BULLPEN BY THE 6th & NOT SOONER. ANYONE ELSE GOES DOWN FROM THE ROTATION. KNOWING LIMA IS BURIED, PERHAPS A CALL FOR A REPRISE OF FIGGY COULD GET US THROUGH A FEW WEEKS
WHATEVER HAPPENS, I DON’T ENVISION PANIC IN FLUSHING AS FRONTOFFICES PLANNING ON BEING ALSO RANS TEND TO HAVE LITTLE TO PANIC OVER.
Well, if I am correct, this questions about Marcum were brought in by some people here, of course, they were attacked, ridicule, called haters, etc…. Now, it seems everyone who brought up those questions seem 100% right… Once again we’re in the brink of spending money on a guy who is just not wrth it…. And probably losing a 2nd round pick for nothing….. Not good
Help me out, what does it have to do with a 2nd round pick?
Well, isn’t this FO sooooo gung ho on draft picks? Why lose one on a guy who’s injury prone? I am just wondering, not even criticizing the FO, just asking you who seem to love this FO, why would they risk lose an almighty draft pick for a guy who might just spend most of the time in the DL? it’s just a question, maybe you can help
How are they losing a draft pick for Marcum?
Wasn’t he qualified? that’s what I was told no? Not sure who it was but somehow here said the mets signing Marcum gave a compensatory pick to the brewers in the second round..
No way. I don’t think that’s true at all.
You are correct. Mets did not forfeit a pick to sign Marcum.
I think Marcum is far removed from that kind of value. He is basically a journeyman.
I wouldn’t say he is a journeyman either. He’s been pretty damn solid… when healthy.
Let me help you out. You can stop right after your first few words.
“Well, if I am correct. . ..”
Stop right there. Alex, you are never correct. Never. Not once. Haven’t seen it yet.
Hope that was helpful.
Let me try to spell it out to you a bit more clearly.
I don’t recall what you said when Marcum was signed, but I can tell you that people who disagreed with you probably didn’t attack, ridicule or call you a hater. They disagreed. Can you understand the difference? They had a different opinion, in all likelihood backed up by facts, not bias as is always the case with you.
And why might they have disagreed? Again, simple baseball analysis. You haven’t the faintest idea how to build a team. Marcum made sense because he had a history of high performance when healthy and he was inexpensive. We are operating with a very limited budget. In order to have a chance to outperform expectations, you have to take a few shots just like this.
Now listen closely because this part is very important. The FO and the fans who supported this move did not guess wrong. We are not shocked that he is hurt. We understand that was a risk and are disappointed it has panned out this way. But in our minds, the risk was worth the limited expense and potential upside high reward. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you have to take these shots, especially, and again listen closely, especially when you have no money.
You know who else was a low cost high upside potential signing trying to catch lightning in a bottle? RA Dickey. Does that name ring a bell? You would have been screaming and yelling against that one too, except not in hindsight because it worked out.
There are tons of examples of signing like this working out. That’s why you do them. You understand the risks, you’re not surprised when they go south, but because the cost is minimal, its worth taking these shots. In fact, you know you are going to lose these more than you win. Can you understand that?
Were you able to follow that Alex? Of course not. I know that. But a man can dream.
I do hope the one thing you do take away from this is the very first point I made. When people disagree with you, they aren’t criticizing you. They aren’t haters. They aren’t ridiculing you. They are disagreeing, and in most cases when it comes to you, they are disagreeing because they are smart and have an opinion based in facts and logic.
Dickey was signed for peanuts to provide minor league depth and if necessary major league depth. Marcum was paid as and signed to be a starter in the rotation at the major league level. Big difference.If he cant go we have another gaping hole. Completely differnet situations.
“..because he had a history of high performance when healthy and he was inexpensive”
4 mil is “inexpensive” ?
that sure sounds alot like kelvin escobar….the guy met fans were screaming about when Omar signed him for 1 mil back in 2010…
Attacked, called haters?
Seriously, not too over the top, people with differing opinions that voice them on a site are not attacking, no matter how many times you make this false claim.
Kay, is this your daily reminder?
Oh, boy. Looks more and more like that episode from Family Guy:
Here’s the first pitch of the season, and there it goes…the Mets season is officially over.
Johan Santana is the second coming of Pedro Martinez. His first start of the season will be August 18th.
Valdespin in place of Cowgill in center field? Nice! Maybe there is a small part of Collins’ brain that actually works. Maybe I misjudged Collins. Maybe he just realized Cowgill is a Quad-A reject who’s been bounced around to his third organization in three years. Anybody thinking of buying those Cowgill shirts from the 7 Line might want to hold off a few weeks. It seems for all the geniuses in the front office, they finally figured out Valdespin is the most athletic and versatile player on their 40 man roster. By the way, any word on F-Mart these days other than he just turned 24?
I am guessing it will be more platoons Maniac so don’t get too excited.
They should let valdy play second n cowgil play center… tuner not 100% why let him play n get hurt..just sayin..#teammets
‘He has missed so much time this spring, that he is in danger of starting the season in Triple-A Las Vegas.’
I’d say this is pretty much a lock, baring any more injuries.
When will they get it that Turner is NOT a starter?
When we see the Mets with a better manager than Terry.
Love Terry Collins too! It’s great that he has confidence in Justin and he’s giving him a chance to show everyone how terrific he is ….. AND…… Justin has a great spirit that is a great morale booster for the team!
Looks like Justin’s mom didn’t change her name when she married his dad…
When Terry gets an idea in his head, it seems to be in there to stay.
Justin Turner IS a starter!!!! If her were in the regular line-up, he would be able to show everyone what he is capable of! He’s AWESOME!!!!
He’s defensively deficient, has no power, little speed, and can’t turn DPs quick enough. He is a backup at best.
Hitman, I am not 100% sure but I sense a little sarcasm in this poster.
I would hope it is.