Mets’ Syndergaard out with lat tear
ATLANTA— New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson may accelerate his search for pitching help after the team placed ace right-hander Noah Syndergaard on the 10-day disabled list Monday with a partial tear of his right lat muscle.
The Mets said there is no timetable for Syndergaard’s return, leaving Alderson to look for pitching help outside the organization.
“I said over the last few days we had looked at that possibility,” Alderson said before Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves. “I would say yes, this probably could accelerate that process.”
Mets left-hander Steven Matz missed two months with a similar lat injury in 2015. Matz is on the DL with left elbow irritation and could return by the end of May.
Syndergaard (1-2) allowed five runs on five hits in the first inning of Sunday’s 23-5 loss to the Nationals. He grimaced after throwing a secondinning strike to Bryce Harper and reached for his right armpit before leaving the field with a trainer and manager Terry Collins.
The injury came only a couple days after he said he felt fine and refused an MRI. He was a late scratch from a scheduled start last Thursday after complaining of biceps and shoulder discomfort in his pitching arm. The MRI exam at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery early Monday revealed the partial tear.
“The doctor has said there wasn’t any connection, there isn’t any connection, between what happened and a possible bicep injury,” Alderson said. “That’s all I can go on.”
The Mets also are without slugger Yoenis Cespedes, who was placed on the disabled list Friday with a strained left hamstring.