The Mets came limping home from a disappointing 2-4 road trip yesterday and learned that they won’t be getting help from Daniel Murphy anytime soon.
Murphy, who was injured while playing for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday night, will be out 4-6 months after an MRI on his right knee showed that he had suffered a high-grade MCL tear.
The torn MCL is another setback for Murphy, who struggled in the outfield last year, but was expected to be the Mets’ starting first baseman this season before going down with a sprained MCL to the same knee during a rundown in spring training.
The Mets said the torn MCL was a new injury and not related to the earlier sprain.
Murphy will not require surgery, but clearly won’t be part of the Mets’ plans this season.
The team had been in the process of figuring out how best to use Murphy and indicated that it was in no rush to get him back to the majors, but with Luis Castillo also visiting the Hospital for Special Surgery yesterday because of his two bad feet, Murphy could have been a potential replacement.
The Mets did not expect to get any results regarding Castillo until today and would then determine whether to put him on the disabled list.
Since Castillo’s situation has been ongoing for much of the year, the odds of a stay on the DL are increasing.
Castillo has played through a bruise on the bottom of his left foot for much of the season and had recently been playing with a sore right foot, as well.
And while he has been able to run fairly well and been reasonably productive, it has become increasingly apparent that his game has been affected by the injuries, with Jerry Manuel saying on Wednesday that the DL was more of a possibility.
If the Mets opt to put Castillo on the DL, that leaves them only with Alex Cora to fill the spot for now and since Murphy is no longer an option there, they could call up shortstop Ruben Tejada.
The news was not exactly the way they had hoped to start a six-game homestand that begins tonight against the Marlins at Citi Field.
Murphy suffered the injury in just his second game at second base, after being used at first and designated hitter as he got acclimated back to the game.
But the Mets’ plans were altered when Syracuse’s Leonard Davis plowed into Murphy with a slide that some of Murphy’s teammates were quoted as saying was dirty.
Murphy had to be carted off the field and Buffalo manager Ken Oberkfell immediately feared the worst, according to reports.
Now the Mets, with a lineup that continues to be inconsistent and a top-heavy starting rotation, figure to have even less depth and margin for error.
