Duda gets cortisone shots in hips
PORT ST. LUCIE — Lucas Duda’s spring is off to a troublesome start. The Mets first baseman was absent from the lineup in his team’s exhibition home opener Saturday, a day after he received a cortisone injection in each hip, according to manager Terry Collins. Duda missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his back, but Collins said it is unclear if the latest injury is related. The Mets are hopeful Duda will resume baseball activities later this week. Collins said he has spoken to Neil Walker and Jay Bruce about taking grounders at first base starting next week. Wilmer Flores and Dominic Smith saw action at the position in the Mets’ 8-6 exhibition loss to the Nationals. Could David Wright be an option at first base? “We have got to wait to see how he throws,” Collins said. “But, yeah, there is the possibility that when he starts taking grounders we might flip him over and let him take some at first base, too.”
Kevin Plawecki suffered a contusion to his left knee in the sixth inning during a col- lision at home plate with Rafael Bautista. The team sent Plawecki for precautionary X-rays, the results of which weren’t released by the Mets as of early Saturday evening.
Bautista drove his left shoulder into Plawecki’s knee. Plawecki was helped from the field by trainers.
Maybe they want to be just like Keith Hernandez.
Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz recently have begun sporting mustaches at spring training in an apparent effort to give the Mets’ rotation a different look.
Zack Wheeler has maintained his goatee, distinguishing himself from the others.
But the pitchers are playing it coy regarding the new facial hair.
“I didn’t even notice — what mustaches?” deGrom said, adding it might just be a coincidence all four pitchers have a new look.
Matz said he wasn’t sure who the driving force was behind the rotation’s mustaches. But pitching coach Dan Warthen, who also has been wearing a mustache, has a theory.
“I think they all conspired,” Warthen said. “I think they are trying to tell me how bad mine is.”
Syndergaard posted a message on Twitter with a collage of photos after the game: “Flawless execution of Amazin’ Team Stashagery.”