The New York Mets received some bad injury-related news to start the week, as one of the players who had the upper hand on a roster spot for the bench has been ruled out for a significant period of time, according to the latest reports.
The Mets performed an MRI on Jose Martinez’s left knee on Monday, and the diagnosis is not encouraging: it revealed a torn meniscus. According to manager Luis Rojas, the first baseman/outfielder tweener is expected to miss the next four months of action, effectively making him miss at least the first half of the season.
Martinez had joined the Mets on a split contract before spring training, and the plan was for him to compete for a roster spot for Opening Day. He could have been a versatile batter off the bench, but was injured while chasing a ball in Sunday’s contest against the Marlins.
According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, Martinez planted his leg awkwardly, “as he sought to avoid a collision with umpire Greg Gibson. He needed a cart to move around the clubhouse that evening and felt no better upon waking up Monday.â€
The Mets were hoping for a different diagnosis
The Mets were optimistic, but in the end, they didn’t receive good news.
“I’m a little surprised with the [time frame],†Rojas said. “I expected it to be something that will take time to have him back on the field, but not as long as four months. … We’ll just right now pray for the best for him, that surgery goes well and the recovery goes well.â€
The fact that Martinez isn’t a particularly good defensive player meant that he had to fight for his roster spot. However, this development effectively knocks him out of that conversation.
However, the Mets aren’t too worried. “We have a lot of depth,†Rojas said.