Travis d’Arnaud started at catcher for the first time since he began his rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie last week.
D’Arnaud, 27, went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI while catching seven innings on Saturday. He’s expected to rejoin the Mets in 10-12 days barring any setbacks according to Terry Collins.
Original Report – June 10
New York Mets starting catcher Travis d’Arnaud continues his rehab assignment with Adv-A St. Lucie as he recovers from a right rotator cuff strain that has had him missing in action since April 26.
On Thursday, d’Arnaud went 2-for-4 as the designated hitter with three walks, an RBI and stolen base.
According to Mets assistant GM John RIcco, d’Arnaud is expected to play at catcher sometime next week. If there are no such setbacks, he can potentially return to the Mets within three weeks.
Prior to landing on the DL, d’Arnaud was batting .196 with no home runs in 46 at-bats. Last year, he hit .268 with 12 home runs.
“He’s a big piece,” said Terry Collins of d’Arnaud. “When you talk about what we’ve done against left-handed pitching, Travis d’Arnaud has got pretty good numbers against left-handed starting pitching, so that is a pretty large chunk out of our lineup.”
Despite d’Arnaud’s early season struggles, there’s no doubt when he’s healthy, he provides a big bat for the Mets. With David Wright and Lucas Duda also on the DL and expected to be out much longer, d’Arnaud’s return should provide some much needed offense to the lineup.
