The New York Mets have dealt with injury after injury during the 2024 campaign. However, the blue and orange may have finally caught a break, as a starter has avoided a long-term injury after a scary play.
Paul Blackburn has a bone bruise
The scariest play of the Met season occurred on Friday night when David Peralta connected on a 100-mph line drive that struck Paul Blackburn. The California native immediately went 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, the 30-year-old exited the game with the Mets fearing the worst.
After the initial X-rays were negative and a bone bruise was diagnosed, Blackburn underwent a CT scan, which yielded promising results:
“Bone bruise, ultimately. So, yeah, good news,” Blackburn revealed to the media on Saturday. “We’re just trying to flush inflammation out. Kind of play it by ear as far as pain tolerance, inflammation and, obviously, spinning pitches and stuff. We’ll figure that out in the next couple of days or so.”
The 30-year-old added that he hopes to avoid a stint on the injured list, as the team is in a situation “where we need arms.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza revealed that the organization will better understand that situation after Blackburn undergoes treatment and plays catch on Sunday.
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What does this mean for the Mets?
This is an incredibly positive development for the blue and orange, as they could not afford to lose another starting pitcher for a significant period of time. However, currently, all things indicate that Blackburn will miss just one start at most.
If the California native were to miss any time, Tylor Megill would likely be called up to fill the role in the rotation, or the Mets could opt to do a bullpen game. Time will tell what happens with Blackburn, but this is undoubtedly the best-case scenario for the blue and orange.
