New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon left Tuesday’s game with a hand injury.
Bartolo Colon has been one of the New York Mets’ most consistent starting pitchers in 2016. He has served as a quality, back-end starter, putting up an ERA barely above 3.00. This has been behind the great work of Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom.
However, Colon’s luck quickly changed on Tuesday night. He took a line drive off his right hand from Kansas City Royals player Whit Merrifield. The training staff came out to check on the veteran pitcher, and he subsequently left the game.
OUCH. A big ouch for Big Sexy.#Mets #BartoloColon pic.twitter.com/9CQE3vFXtW
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) June 21, 2016
There is no word on the severity of the injury.
The Mets have been battered with injuries in the 2016 season. They lost Lucas Duda to a stress fracture in his back, and David Wright recently underwent neck surgery, forcing him out for the season. Most of the lineup has struggled as well, leaving the pitching staff being heavily relied on. So to lose Colon for any extended amount of time is bad news for the Mets.
As for a potential replacement for Colon, it could have been Zack Wheeler, who has been recovering from Tommy John surgery. However, the Mets had to shut him down on Tuesday with elbow discomfort in the same spot where he had the operation in 2015. Another option could be Logan Verrett, who has been up and down from the minor leagues to the MLB.
Bartolo Colon’s status is unknown going forward. For the sake of the Mets, they can only hope he’ll be fine.
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