Mets need his legs to have any chance

SAN DIEGO — Yoenis Cespedes sauntered out of the weight room in the corner of the visiting clubhouse at Petco Park wearing the jeweled crown and blue-and-orange satin robe that the Mets players bestow on their teammate of the game.

The Cuban slugger also wore a giant ice pack, secured to his right leg with an ace bandage.

It was like the Mets’ 2017 season in a nutshell: Cespedes seemed to be breaking out of his slump Tuesday night only to end up leaving in the middle of the seventh inning with concern about his injury-prone legs.

This Mets season never seemed to gain any traction before being derailed by injuries.

Cespedes snapped a month-long home run drought, drove in the goahead run and scored the winning run in a wild play in the seventh inning of the Mets 6-5 win over the Padres at Petco Park. He lined a triple into the right-field corner on a checked swing and then scored on the first baseman’s throwing error.

“It’s more fatigue. I felt it after I touched second base,” Cespedes said of the right quad, which nagged him most of the 2016 season. “I am not too worried that it’s going to be an impediment for playing tomorrow.”

And it wasn’t. Cespedes was back in the lineup Wednesday night as he expected, going 1-for-4 with a strikeout in the Mets’ 6-3 loss to the Padres.

But for the Mets, who invested $110 million over four years in Cespedes, there is always going to be concern whenever it comes to his legs.

Cespedes missed 37 games while on the disabled list already this season with a strained left hamstring. Last season he missed 14 games while on the DL and more here and there trying to manage a right quad injury.

“Unless you completely rest your legs and you have had leg issues, they are going to be there,” Collins said of the concern about Cespedes’ legs. “And that’s why I tip my hat to him. He’s worked very, very hard on the hydration side to keep himself hydrated.”

Already this season, the Mets have had Cespedes’ back examined and had him work out a new pregame stretching routine to try and get to the bottom of his leg injuries. Earlier this season, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said they are going to have to be hyper-aware that Cespedes is prone to leg issues because of his physique.

So after having his best game in over a month Tuesday night, the Mets had to hold their breath to see if he will be available Wednesday.

And they desperately need him to keep playing consistently. With the win Tuesday night, the Mets (47-51) pulled to just four games below .500. That’s the closest they have been to even in over a month (June 14). Despite the fact that they headed out on this 10-game road trip intending to sell before the July 31st deadline, within the clubhouse they still harbor hopes of a dramatic and unlikely comeback for a wild card spot.

That is a tough uphill battle and one no one can see them making without Cespedes returning to form.

Tuesday night was the first sign of life they have really seen from Cespedes in a month. He went into the game having hit just .214 with four RBI, a double and a triple and no home runs since June 24. Even after Tuesday, Cespedes has driven in just 26 runs and hit 10 home runs in 53 games.

There were questions about whether the leg injuries had affected Cespedes’ power this season. Mets hitting coach Kevin Long admitted that the injuries had affected his swing, but not because it physically took away his power.

“He’s chasing,” Long said last week. “He’s expanded the strike zone. I think that can be expected when you miss so much time.”

And Tuesday night, Cespedes felt like he was getting back on track. e made solid contact on the homer to left field and the fifth-inning, line drive RBI double to left field.

“When he’s on, he doesn’t miss pitches,” Collins said. “Tonight he didn’t miss pitches.”

The next day, Collins and the Mets were just hoping Cespedes could get a hot streak going at some point this season without having to worry about his health.

H