More bad news for the Mets out of Philadelphia tonight. As if losing 9-4 to the Phillies wasn’t bad enough, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, is reporting that both left-hander Jon Niese and outfielder Scott Hairston are heading to the disabled list with rib cage injuries.
Niese re-injured a muscle on his right side while delivering a pitch to Hunter Pence in the third inning. He originally injured the same muscle last week in San Diego, and was pushed back a day to give him extra time to rest.
“I was going to put myself on the DL after the way it feels. It’s hurting. That’s why I feel terrible. I should have said something after that (Pence) at-bat. I let the game get away, and I just feel awful for it. I did the best I could with what I had.”
It was a forgettable night for Niese for multiple reasons as he was pasted for a season-high eight runs on 10 hits over four innings before coming out of the game. Considering how late in the season we already are and how tricky rib cage and oblique injuries can be, Niese could possibly be done for the season.
Outfielder Scott Hairston will also be placed on the DL after injuring his right intercostal muscle swinging at an outside pitch in Tuesday’s game.
“It’s just one of those things where I rotated in the wrong position and I guess strained the muscle. I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking a swing the way it feels now.”
You can expect both players to get MRIs in the morning, but obviously this is a big blow for Niese, Hairston and the Mets who have been struggling with various injuries to players all season long.
The Mets will now need to promote two starters from the minors; one to replace Niese and another to cover the doubleheader against the Marlins on Monday. Rubin believes the Mets will pick two between Miguel Batista, Pat Misch and Chris Schwinden.
