And It Begins – Lucas Duda Cannot Swing

For sure, the first man down in Port St. Lucie wouldn’t be for at least another week, right? But no, even before the first official workout commenced, the Mets lost starting first baseman Lucas Duda.

The scene is so eerily familiar to Mets fans — it’s reported that a player has a minor injury and will be out of action “for only a day or two.” A few days later, the report is updated, and that player will be out for at least a week. In a week’s time, we find out it will be a month.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Hey, it’s really, really early in the spring. Again, the Mets first full-squad workout was today, and their first spring game isn’t until March 4th. So there’s plenty of time for Lucas Duda to heal from his oblique strain and be ready for Opening Day in April.

Or is there?

Remember when Angel Pagan “strained his oblique” while fouling off a pitch in April 2011? This was his quote:

“I don’t think it’s as bad as last year,” he said. “Hopefully, it will only take a few days and I can be back for the team and start playing well.”

Uh-huh.

Pagan’s injury turned out to be not a strained oblique but a busted rib — something that wasn’t discovered UNTIL JUNE, and only after missing a month on the DL. Oh, and only after undergoing an MRI.

But surely, the Mets learned something from that situation and now take x-rays right away as a precautionary measure whenever a player complains of pain in his side. Right?

For those old enough to remember, there was a rash of oblique injuries in Flushing in 2010 (a.k.a., “Before Alderson”). Pagan and Jose Reyes played through the oblique issues (until Reyes finally hit the DL in late August) and Rod Barajas went down in late July of that year.

Here’s the good news: the Mets medical staff probably remembers previous oblique issues, and keeping Duda out of action right now is the most cautious and responsible route. There’s no rush, so keep the lumber out of Lucas’ hands for now.

Meanwhile, there are dozens of completely healthy Mets in camp to watch and discuss.