Oft-injured d’Arnaud hits the DL
It has become an annual spring tradition, like the NBA and NHL playoffs, NFL draft and the return of warm weather. Travis d’Arnaud is headed to the disabled list and his return is uncertain.
The Mets’ oft-injured catcher was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right throwing wrist three days after aggravating it on a swing, and the team has no timetable for when he will be back behind the plate. He’s wearing a splint for the time being to keep the wrist immobilized until it heals.
Rene Rivera — who went 2-for-4 with an RBI — got the start Friday night, Kevin Plawecki will be behind the plate on Saturday, and Rivera will be back in on Sunday. Otherwise, Terry Collins said he doesn’t have to plan at the moment for how he will use both catchers.
“It won’t be just 10 days,” the manager said Friday before the Mets’ 8-7 win over the Marlins. “It sounds like it’s not a big deal, but we know from the past it is a big deal.”
Indeed, there is no such thing as a minor injury with d’Arnaud, who has played more than 100 games in a season just once since reaching the majors as a full-time player in 2014. He missed 50 games last year with a rotator cuff strain. The year before, a fractured right hand cost him 46 games.
His minor league career also was hampered by injuries, such as a herniated disk in his lower back,a torn PCL in his left knee, and a fractured bone in his left foot.
“He said, ‘When I come back I’m going to continue where I left off,’ which is a great attitude to have,” Collins said. “It’s pretty frustrating for us because we know what this guy’s potential is. We’ve seen it. It seems like just when he starts to get it going something happens. And again its not one of those three or four-day things, its something that takes him out of the lineup for two or three weeks.
“Hopefully this doesn’t take that long.”
D’Arnaud is the latest Mets regular to go on the disabled list, joining the likes of Yoenis Cespedes, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Seth Lugo and Lucas Duda.
For the time being, d’Arnaud isusing anti-inflammatory cream and taking medicine, but hasn’t received an injection of any kind. He also isn’t sure if he will be back this month, or when he can return. He seemed upbeat about this latest setback.
“That’s baseball, what can you do?” d’Arnaud said. “Just keep moving forward. I just have to work hard to get back out there and help these guys win.”