Juan Lagares placed on disabled list by New York Mets

For the second time during the 2014 Major League Baseball season, the New York Mets have lost their best defensive player to the disabled list. Outfielder Juan Lagares was placed on the 15-day DL as a result of an intercostal injury, and the timetable for his return is slightly murky at this stage.

The 24-year-old Lagares isn’t exactly a household name in the grand scheme of things, but many believe that he is one of the premier defensive outfielders in all of baseball, and the loss of a Gold Glove-caliber player at a premium position always hurts. Lagares isn’t the first impact player to hit the DL for the Mets this season, either, as Dillon Gee is currently sidelined and New York has had a rotating door of issues.

For the year, Lagares has posted a solid slash line of .288/.331/.423 at the plate, and if he hits at that modest but effective level, the defense would translate him into an above-average starter. The Mets have big-picture issues aside from losing one of their supporting players, but the internal options (including Matt den Dekker) are less than impressive at this stage, and New York will be searching far and wide for production until Juan Lagares is able to return at full strength to his perch in center field.

Just another day in Queens.