After waking up with continued lower-back discomfort on Wednesday morning, second baseman Neil Walker was examined by team doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery and was unavailable for the game.
“He woke up this morning and sent a text and said, ‘There’s no way I can play today,’” manager Terry Collins said.
However after tonight’s 11-2 win, Collins updated reporters and said he hopes to have Walker back in the lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Pirates.
“He got some medication, which helped,” Collins said. “I just talked to him before I walked in here. He said, ‘Right now, I’d like to play tomorrow.’ And I said, ‘Well, if there’s any doubts, you’ve got to give me a heads up.’ He said, ‘If there is, I’ll give you a call early in the morning.’ So hopefully he’s in the lineup tomorrow.”
Looks like Walker will be okay.
Original Report – June 12
Second baseman Neil Walker was removed from Saturday’s game against the Brewers with what the Mets are calling “lower back tightness.”
Walker, who was replaced by Kelly Johnson in the fourth inning, was 0-for-2 and grounded into a double play in his last at-bat before leaving the game.
The former Pirate took a hard-hit shot to his chest on Thursday that knocked the wind out of him. He made a pinch-hitting appearance on Friday and was back in the starting lineup Saturday and batting cleanup.
Manager Terry Collins said Walker will not play in Sunday’s series finale against the Brewers and is hoping that anti-inflammatory medication will allow him to return in time for the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
“I didn’t have any concern about Lucas Duda, and the guy ended up with a broken back,” Collins said about the severity. “Certainly anytime you’re talking about the lower back, it’s a concern.”
Walker attempted to play through the back spasm but then decided he needed to exit the game and seek treatment.
“I took a checked swing my first at-bat and just something tightened up in my lower back,” Walker told reporters. “I tried to push through it. It didn’t loosen up that much. So I decided to come out.”
In addition to the anti-inflammatory medication, Walker will also undergo electrical impulse therapy on the affected area of his back.
“I’m not concerned.. I’ve dealt with this for the last four or five years… But it’s frustrating because you’re trying to help the team win, you’re trying to help the team in any way, shape or form. And you feel like you’re kind of holding yourself back. And then you realize you’re not helping the team, either. I’ll let this thing calm down. We’ve got a lot of season to go obviously.”
Walker has been one of the more productive players in the lineup, hitting .271 this season with 13 home runs, 25 RBI and a .822 OPS for the Mets.
