The New York Mets have placed Paul Blackburn on the injured list.
Blackburn was hit by a line drive on Friday, injuring his right hand. Huascar Brazoban has been recalled to replace him.
Here’s a video of the incident where Blackburn’s hand swelled up immediately: https://streamable.com/m/paul-blackburn-exits-with-apparent-injury?partnerId=web_multimedia-search_video-share. “I wouldn’t say it was great. There’s still a lot of stiffness and soreness,” Blackburn mentioned after playing catch on Sunday (via Newsday). He hopes to start rehab in 10 days and only stay on the injured list for 15 days.
Blackburn, who is 30 years old, came from the Oakland Athletics. His performance with the Mets includes a 5.18 ERA over five starts. While he had three good outings with minimal runs, two games were rough with a combined 12 runs in just over six innings.
Rotation Changes:
To fill Blackburn’s spot, Tylor Megill is expected to step in. Megill has had a challenging season with a 5.17 ERA across nine starts and one relief appearance. The Mets’ rotation is already stretched thin; Jose Quintana has struggled this August with an 8.27 ERA, and Luis Severino has pitched more innings this year than any since 2018.
Fans might think it’s tough luck for the Mets right now.
As of Sunday, the Mets are sitting at 68-62 and trailing the Atlanta Braves by 2½ games for that third wild-card spot.
What do you think about their chances?
