It’s getting to be time for the Mets where they must start seriously thinking about their Opening Day roster and whom might be on the disabled list. While there’s nothing official, the Mets are holding out hope for Daniel Murphy (right hamstring) and reliever Vic Black (right shoulder) to be ready.
Seems like wishful thinking.
MURPHY: Should open on DL. (AP)
The Mets backed off a little Friday on Murphy when they said he would only play in minor league games next week. The Mets can backdate the injury that way and the most he would miss are the season’s first six days. However, if they played him in a major league exhibition game and was injured, the clock would start at the time of the injury.
There’s no point in pushing Murphy, especially considering the nature of his injury. It will be cold in April and hamstrings don’t respond well when it’s frigid.
It’s a no-brainer, actually.
The same could be said of Black, who has been sidelined for two weeks with weakness in his shoulder. Currently, Black is being treated with anti-inflammatory medicine and is only throwing on flat ground.
It is incomprehensible considering where Black is, how pitching coach Dan Warthen would actually claim Black is “right on the cusp,’’ of being ready for Opening Day. If Black pitches again this spring, the Mets are crazy if they didn’t use him the same way they plan to use Murphy.
When you factor in the Mets’ history in handling injuries, why is there any debate to this? Let’s cut the nonsense and have them both open the season on the disabled list.
Why is this so hard to figure out?