Injuries and Recoveries in 2014

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Grandy is resting his calf and did Mejia get hurt last night too? What a wreck.

[Frayed Knot]

Lagares apparently isn't near ready.

[Edgy MD]

But not EY. Eric expected to be activated in time for tonight's game.

[Edgy MD]

Niese likely for DL.

So much for "Who loses his spot when Gee returns?"

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: Niese likely for DL.

But for some kind of shoulder injury rather than anything connected to last night's liner off the back.
Apparently Niese is not happy about the decision. Buddy Carlyle on the way to NY from Vegas.

[Edgy MD]

Cliff Floyd reporting that Goodwin's leave of absence was because he lost a son.

[Edgy MD]

Hef on his way to New York to meet up with the team... of physicians at the Hospital for Special Surgery, to examine if his forearm soreness is a setback in his TJ rehab.

[Zvon]

Almost casually, less than an hour after Jenrry Mejia blew a save in the Mets 7-6 loss to the Phillies, he revealed that he is pitching through a hernia.

http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2014/08/mets_closer_jenrry_mejia_has_hernia_will_pitch_through_it.html

[Gwreck]

This is idiotic. If he needs surgery, get him the surgery. We are not playing for anything in 2014.

[Edgy MD]

I'm playing for something.

But sure, get the hernia surgery.

[smg58]

If it's compromising his pitching in any way, then there's nothing to be gained by waiting.

[Edgy MD]

It depends, I guess, on how compromised. But yeah.

I don't believe our season means nothing, or that it means any less nothing than any other season. But I do believe that upgrading Familia into a role with a little more responsibility, and therefore upgrading Black into a role with a little more responsibility, and therefore upgrading Torres into a role with a little more responsibility puts the team into a better position to win, long-term and short-term than to give our most crucial innings to a guy who's cowboying up for the team.

[Frayed Knot]

smg58 wrote: If it's compromising his pitching in any way, then there's nothing to be gained by waiting.

But if it's not compromising his pitching then there's nothing to be gained--and plenty of season to be lost--by doing it during the season as opposed to in the off-season.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well, there's the possibility that it's not compromising his pitching, but he's still running the risk of making it a more severe injury.

[Edgy MD]

Well, I'd be surprised if delaying treatment on a hernia became a career-threatening injury.

I myself am living with a hernia. (All the time, such aggravation.)

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: Well, I'd be surprised if delaying treatment on a hernia became a career-threatening injury. I myself am living with a hernia. (All the time, such aggravation.)

and you probably wouldn't have gotten the Phillies out either.

[Edgy MD]

Feel pretty confident that I could get Darin Ruf.

Injury or not, I own that guy. He had two F's before he met me. Two R's in in "Darrin," too.

[Gwreck]

If the Mets aren't going to make the playoffs (which they're not), the best possible position they can be in is to have as bad a record as possible to get a better draft pick spot for next year.

Finishing with one of the ten worst records in the majors would be ideal since it wouldn't cost them a first-round pick [u:2suqgg37]when[/u:2suqgg37] they sign a big free agent this offseason (ie. Jon Lester or Max Scherzer).

As for Mejia: I maintain there is no reason to delay the surgery. I really think it's stupid to think about "if" he can pitch despite the hernia. If the Mets were seriously competing for a playoff spot then it might be a different consideration.

[Edgy MD]

If bunting is for losers, tanking is for the birds.

[Gwreck]

Tanking is deliberately losing. Of course they're not going to throw the games.

Changing the composition of your team so that you lose more games this season is fine if it sets up you for future success. When the Mets traded Carlos Beltran in 2011, it undoubtedly caused them to win fewer games that season. Yet I think everyone can see that as a trade that benefited the team in the long run, even if it caused them to lose more in 2011.

Putting Mejia on the DL and getting him his surgery might not help the Mets win in 2014 but a healthy team is more important in 2015.

There is of course now also an added benefit to having a crappy record. The Mets aren't going to finish with one of the ten best records (the playoff teams). They probably aren't going to be in the 11-15 range either (contenders). Right now, they look to be in the range of 16-20, and that's the worst place to be.

[ashie62]

Gut Mejia like a fish....

Familia will do just fine....

[Edgy MD]

Gwreck wrote: Right now, they look to be in the range of 16-20, and that's the worst place to be.

I feel pretty certain the worst place to be is to be the worst team in the league.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy MD wrote: Gwreck wrote: Right now, they look to be in the range of 16-20, and that's the worst place to be. I feel pretty certain the worst place to be is to be the worst team in the league.

I believe he meant draft-wise, wisenheimer.

[Edgy MD]

I really don't mean to be wisen. I just simply have to disagree. You can't get caught up in thinking that's the goal. It's empty, Pyrrhic, and diabolically seductive.

If you have to shut a player down in the present to protect his future, by all means. If you have to shut him down to weaken your team and improve your draft position, I wouldn't like to sign on with that.

The team has spent plenty of years now stockpiling talent. Victory is the scarcer and more precious commodity.

[Gwreck]

Edgy MD wrote: If you have to shut a player down in the present to protect his future, by all means. If you have to shut him down to weaken your team and improve your draft position, I wouldn't like to sign on with that.

Except shutting down Mejia to have necessary hernia surgery accomplishes both goals. It's not a binary situation. I would guess that shutting him down is more about protecting his health than weakening the team (after all, he's only the closer) but if it has the additional benefit of weakening the team with respect to next year's draft position, so be it.

The team has spent plenty of years now stockpiling talent. Victory is the scarcer and more precious commodity.

It's August 11 and the Mets are still 6 games under .500. They're not going to make the playoffs in 2014. If they finish with one of the ten worst records this year, they won't lose their first round draft pick when they sign free agent pitchers Max Scherzer or Jon Lester to boost next year's rotation.

[Edgy MD]

Gwreck wrote: Except shutting down Mejia to have necessary hernia surgery accomplishes both goals.

I don't think it's an established fact at all that it accomplishes the first goal. I think the Mets would jump on it if was that clear. I don't think the second goal is much of a goal at all.

Gwreck wrote: They're not going to make the playoffs in 2014.

I don't think this is anything like an established fact either. The team is seven and a half off the division and six off the wild card. They'd be a game closer in both if they made any number of subtle decisions just a little bit better on Sunday afternoon. It's unlikey, sure, but unlikelier things happen every season. The Pirates were within reach, a game and half in front of the Mets, two weeks ago. Now they're now the wild card leader.

[Frayed Knot]

Or they could make their medical decisions based on, y'know, what the medical people think rather than on where the team currently sits in the standings.

[Edgy MD]

It's really as simple as that, yeah.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: Or they could make their medical decisions based on, y'know, what the medical people think rather than on where the team currently sits in the standings.

but then what would be complain about?

[Frayed Knot]

Ceetar wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Or they could make their medical decisions based on, y'know, what the medical people think rather than on where the team currently sits in the standings. but then what would be complain about?

That they, who got their medical knowledge via watching reruns of 'House' and/or 'Gray's Anatomy', know better than the actual doctors who, y'know, examined the actual patient.