Reyes lands on DL with sore left rib cage
Mets recall infielders Cecchini, Reynolds, option reliever McGowan to Triple-A
NEW YORK -- Jose Reyes stood near his locker, as he has so many times throughout his career, discussing an injury that he hopes is only minor. Tweaking his left oblique Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, Reyes landed on the 10-day disabled list two days later with what the Mets called a "sore left rib cage." The team recalled infielders Gavin Cecchini and Matt Reynolds, also optioning reliever Kevin McGowan to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move.
"I'm going to take like two days without doing anything, and we'll see what happens after that," Reyes said.
Initially, Reyes explained, he felt a tug on his left side while facing Albertin Chapman in the ninth inning Tuesday. Reyes stayed in the game, legging out a single and ultimately scoring on Amed Rosario's homer, but felt continued soreness the next day at Citi Field. An MRI revealed his injury.
"Every time you have an oblique problem, you worry a little bit," said Reyes, who is hitting .223 with nine home runs and 14 stolen bases in 113 games. "That's not an easy injury. If you feel something, you have to shut it down because you don't want it to get any worse."
The absences of both Reyes and Wilmer Flores forced the Mets to use catcher Travis d'Arnaud as an infielder in Wednesday's game, flopping him and Asdrubal Cabrera 22 times between second and third base. Unlike Reyes, Flores managed to avoid the DL after going through a series of baseball activities Thursday afternoon.
Still, the Mets could be without Flores, who is also dealing with left rib-cage soreness, for several days. In his absence, Reynolds will receive the lion's share of work at third base. Joining the Mets for the fourth time this season, Reynolds hit .346 with a .433 OPS during his latest stint at Las Vegas.
The Mets will use Cecchini, their No. 9 prospect, more as a bench option, with Cabrera playing second. Cecchini, who hit his first career homer earlier this season during a brief stint with the Mets, was batting .267 with a .709 OPS at Las Vegas.
To accommodate the added infield versatility, the Mets optioned McGowan, who spent four days on the active roster but did not appear in a game.