Luis Torrens is on the mend.
The catcher remained out of the Mets’ beginning lineup Wednesday with a proper forearm contusion, however an MRI on Tuesday got here again destructive.
“Still not in the lineup obviously, but feels better,” supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned.
“Towards the end of [Tuesday’s] game, he started to feel a lot better. Today, just talking to him, he’s going to go through baseball activities again, and hopefully he’s a player for us at some point if we need him.”
Torrens, 28, suffered the damage on a foul tip throughout the Mets’ house opener on Friday however completed that recreation.
He was then scratched from Saturday’s beginning lineup however entered that recreation after fellow catcher Hayden Senger was pinch hit for within the seventh inning. Torrens struck a single in his lone plate look.
Torrens has not performed since, with Wednesday’s collection finale towards the Miami Marlins at Citi Discipline marking his fifth consecutive recreation out of the beginning lineup.
However the Mets don’t anticipate Torrens to require a stint on the 10-day injured checklist.
“Before we got the MRI results, it was on the table because we didn’t know what we were dealing with,” Mendoza mentioned earlier than Wednesday’s recreation. “But now that the X-ray, MRI [came back clean], off day tomorrow should help, too. If we need him today, he’s available.”
Wednesday additionally marked the fifth consecutive begin for Senger, a 27-year-old rookie who spent the final two offseasons working at a Nashville-area Entire Meals.
Senger entered Wednesday with 4 hits in 15 at-bats (.267). He went 2-for-4 in Tuesday’s 10-5 win over Miami for the primary multi-hit recreation of his profession.
“He’s been really impressive,” Mendoza mentioned of Senger, a former Twenty fourth-round draft decide.
“We knew the defense was always going to be there, but the way he’s handling the pitching staff, leading those guys, calling really good games. … We’ve seen how elite he is [at] receiving, the blocking, and his ability to shut down a running game. And then offensively, he’s giving us some really good at-bats.”
Torrens and Senger have been pushed up the depth chart after major catcher Francisco Alvarez suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand this spring, requiring surgical procedure.
Alvarez, 23, was set to start a rehab task with Single-A St. Lucie on Wednesday evening. Mendoza anticipated Alvarez to catch 5 or 6 innings and to take three or 4 at-bats.
PAUL’S PROGRESS
Alvarez and Torrens aren’t the one injured Mets making progress.
“I feel good right now, so now it’s just about building up,” Blackburn mentioned.
Blackburn, who started the season on the 15-day injured checklist, threw 30 pitches throughout Tuesday’s session, taking a break within the center to simulate a two-inning outing.
The 31-year-old right-hander has one other dwell session scheduled for the start of subsequent week, then may look towards making a rehab begin.
Returning to the Mets by the top of the month stays on monitor, although Blackburn says he doesn’t know if that might be within the rotation or bullpen. He plans to be constructed up for upwards of 80 pitches by then.
The Mets acquired Blackburn, a 2022 All-Star, final July in a pre-deadline commerce. He was restricted to 5 begins, nevertheless, after a comebacker left him with a proper hand contusion, which was adopted by the analysis of a cerebrospinal fluid leak that required surgical procedure.
“Definitely eager just to be out there in a meaningful game,” Blackburn mentioned. “It’s been a while.”
STORM SURGE
Rick Pitino and St. John’s attended Wednesday’s recreation, the place the Mets acknowledged the Purple Storm for a resurgent season through which they received the Huge East regular-season and convention match championships.
Zuby Ejiofor, the Huge East’s Most Improved Participant, threw the ceremonial first pitch to former Mets nearer John Franco, a St. John’s alum.
