New York Mets Place Daniel Murphy On 15-Day DL

Daniel Murphy Officially Placed On 15-Day DL, Creating Another Hole In The New York Mets’ Lineup

After much speculation throughout Friday, the New York Mets have officially placed infielder Daniel Murphy on the 15-day DL with a quad injury. Murphy was forced from the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday evening with what he said was quad tightness, and now we know that he strained it, and will be placed on the DL to recover.

In his place, the Mets will be re-calling Danny Muno, who was optioned back to the minor leagues on Wednesday when Dillon Gee returned from the DL. Normally a player has to wait 10 days until being recalled, but because another player was placed on the DL, the Mets were able to bring him back up right away.

More from New York Mets

Murphy was obviously disappointed about the injury, but took a realist view of it when talking about it. “It’s frustrating because I’m not going to be able to be with these guys after this trip for a little bit. I think the news could have been worse. And there’s definitely worse things happening on earth than me having to go on the DL.”

Murphy will assuredly be missed, as the Mets lineup is dropping like flies. He was one of the only players they were getting production from, as he was beginning to pick things up after a slow start. Since May 1st, Murphy was pacing the lineup with a .347 batting average (40-for-117) to go with a team high 15 RBI.

Murphy was also helping the Mets replace David Wright as he recovers from his back injury, as manager Terry Collins was using him at third base. He will have to change that strategy once again, and Ruben Tejada seems like the logical choice to get the bulk of the playing time. He had been over there whenever Murphy wasn’t and has been hitting the ball well enough to warrant the playing time.

Murphy is just the latest in a long string of Mets players forced from the lineup. In addition to Wright, the Mets are still without Travis d’Arnaud, who broke his pinkie April 19th, and suffered a setback this past week when a bone bruise developed on his right wrist while on rehab. Then top prospect Dilson Herrera, who was helping replace Wright by playing second, was forced to the DL when he broke the tip of his middle finger on his right hand when taking fielding practice pre-game three weeks ago.

May 27, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets third baseman Danny Muno (16) bats against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

That is a ton of production and players to miss, as the Mets continue to scramble to replace so many everyday pitchers. To the surprise of many, Matt Reynolds will again have to wait for his chance on the big stage. Reynolds, a former second round pick from Arkansas, had a strong spring with the team but has been struggling as of late in Las Vegas. Also, part of the decision has nothing to do with playing ability, as Reynolds is not on the 40-man roster, which would have caused the Mets to make another roster move to bring him up.

Muno though was, and is part of the reason that he will be brought up. Wilfredo Tovar, who was in Arizona with Muno Friday, causing some rumors to begin swirling, was only there as insurance. Had Murphy not needed a DL stint, Tovar would have gotten the call-up because of the rule preventing Muno from coming back to the major league team.

Unfortunately Murphy was forced to the DL, allowing the Mets to bring back the infielder Muno. The Mets are hoping that Muno can provide more production than he has thus far, as he is 1-15 in his MLB career thus far. The Mets will need more, as he will more than likely find himself in a pretty prominent role as they just do not have many other options at their disposal.

Next: Where are the Mets in our MLB Power Rankings?

More from Empire Writes Back

Home/New York Mets