New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano (quad tightness) is back with the team after his stint on the 10-day injured list.
Cano originally hit the IL on May 23, only to be activated on June 5, removed from the game after the third inning, and be retroactively placed back on the IL on June 6.
The Mets placed right-hander Noah Syndergaard (hamstring) on the 10-day IL as the corresponding move.
Syndergaard, 26, left his start on Saturday with one out in the seventh after feeling discomfort in his left hamstring. As per Tim Healey of Newsday, he was receiving an MRI at around 10:30 AM on Sunday.
Mets skipper Mickey Callaway shot down the idea (again via Healey) of Triple-A left-hander (and Long Island native) Anthony Kay moving into Syndergaard’s vacated spot in the Mets starting five, noting, “Anthony probably needs more time”.
Kay, 24, pitched to a sparkling 1.49 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 23 walks over 12 starts (66.1 innings) with Double-A Binghamton this season, leading to a promotion. His first start with Triple-A Syracuse (June 14) did not go well (four innings, five earned runs on six hits, six strikeouts, and a walk).
As per a team-released lineup, Cano, 36, is hitting fifth for the Mets in their series finale with St. Louis on Sunday at Citi Field. Dominic Smith is leading off for the first time in his MLB career, but that’s neither here nor there.
Cano has had about an up-and-down season as one could imagine during his first year in Flushing.
After hitting the cover off the ball in Spring Training, the 15-year MLB veteran slumped badly over the first two weeks, hitting .180/.241/.320 from Opening Day through April 11 (12 games; 54 plate appearances).
He slashed .400/.449/1.049 over his next twelve games (49 plate appearances from April 12 to April 26) but has hit just .182/.213/.260 since (April 27 to June 5; 80 plate appearances).
Now back and healthy, the Mets could surely use Cano’s added punch in their lineup.
We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available.
