The New York Mets can’t seem to catch a break regarding injuries. On Friday, the Mets activated relief pitcher Dedniel Núñez off the 15-day injured list. They looked to finally have a roster back to nearly full strength before a recently acquired starting pitcher was forced to leave the game after being struck by a liner.
Paul Blackburn forced to exit against the San Diego Padres
After already giving up 10 hits and five runs, Paul Blackburn’s night went from bad to worse as David Peralta connected on a 100-mph line drive that deflected off the California native and turned into the first out of the inning with Jose Iglesias fielding the ball and throwing to first.
The 30-year-old was immediately down, holding his pitching hand as the right-hander used it to shield his head, but as a result, the hand took the brunt of the damage. After being checked out by the trainers and with the game already not going his way, Blackburn exited.
“It’s definitely swollen, and there is some pain in there, but I have full mobility in my hand,” Blackburn said postgame.
The Mets diagnosed the injury as a hand contusion, but X-rays were inconclusive. The 30-year-old is scheduled to have a CT scan on Saturday, which should clarify the severity of the injury and reveal if there are any breaks.
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Who could come up if Blackburn needs to miss time?
Should Blackburn need to miss some time, the blue and orange options are limited. With injuries to Christian Scott and the underperformance of many of the organization’s other youthful options, there is truly only one option: Tylor Megill.
Megill has made 10 appearances in the major leagues this season across two separate stints, nine of which were starts, pitching 47 innings to a 5.17 ERA (4.08 FIP) with a 1.426 WHIP while striking out 55.
The California native has fared much better for Triple-A Syracuse. In his most recent start, Megill pitched into the eighth inning and recorded 11 punchouts. Time will tell if Blackburn needs to miss even one start, but if he does, Megill seems to be the Mets’ only option.
