New York Mets place pitcher Dillon Gee on disabled list with lat injury
By Brad Rowland
The New York Mets have been surprising competent during the 2014 season, posting a 19-19 record through their first 38 games. In the center of that mild resurgence has been right-hander Dillon Gee, but on Wednesday afternoon, the Mets were forced to place him on the 15-day disabled list as a result of an injured lat muscle.
#Mets announce Dillon Gee to DL with lat issue. Now deGrom will start in his place Thursday vs. #Yankees.
— David Lennon (@DPLennon) May 14, 2014
Gee’s placement on the DL is a surprising one, simply because he has pitched quite well this season, and there were no rumblings of injury concern. In eight starts, the 28-year-old Gee has posted a 2.73 ERA over more than 52 innings, and in conjunction with his late surge in 2013, he has put together nearly 200 innings with an ERA below 3.00.
On the flip side, though, Gee has done this with smoke and mirrors for the most part, as his FIP (4.30) and peripherals (5.64 K/9, 2.56 BB/9) indicate that he was due for a bit of regression. Still, he has been one of the best pitchers in New York’s rotation for some time, and this is a blow.
Thursday’s game against the New York Yankees will now serve as the Major League debut of Jacob DeGrom, but it is reasonable safe to believe that any Mets fan would prefer to see Gee on the hill.