Home » Mets Injuries » News from M*A*S*H Unit
7
April 30, 2008 Mets Injuries Joe Janish

News from M*A*S*H Unit

mash200.jpgAbout 24 hours ago, we were told that Moises Alou might miss another few months due to an undisclosed ankle injury. Today, however, we are told that Alou has been cleared for baseball activities and will join the team on Friday in Arizona. The “team” being the New York Mets, the “big club”, the guys who play at the MLB level. I won’t hold my breath, as Moises may strain his wrist brushing his teeth between now and then.

In other news, Brian Schneider’s mysterious thumb infection has not responded and the backstop remains in the hospital. Time to call in Dr. Gregory House?

While Alou’s hernia miraculously developed into a phantom ankle sprain, Schneider’s issue has been termed both “a staph infection” and “not a staph infection”. The latest explanation is a

“mixed organism infection caused by normal skin bacteria”, and that, while it was partly associated with staph, it was not the more serious kind of problem usually associated with a staph infection.(source: New York Times).

Super. Clear as mud. Oh, and to make things more confusing, there hasn’t been any official word that Schneider has yet left the hospital, but Omar Minaya stated that “You could even see him back here (today)”. Maybe “here” meant the hospital?

More certain is that Matt Wise will return to the team for the weekend series in AZ — which means either Joe Smith or Jorge Sosa likely will be sent down to AAA to make room. My money is on Smith, who is pitching more effectively but who has options.

In addition, Jose Valentin’s neck is feeling better, and he also has been cleared for baseball activities. He will be hitting off a tee and long tossing in Port St. Lucie, according to Adam Rubin.

Also, that guy who used to be the backup catcher — the one who resembles Shrek — is still limping. I forget his name but I think his dad used to sell convertible couches.

Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez continue to soak in the sun and fun in their extended Florida vacation. Neither are likely to fly north until the temperatures rise above 80 in the NYC area. Similarly, no news on Jason Vargas, though his non-brother Claudio pitched five innings for Port St. Lucie on Monday, giving up one run, no walks, three hits and striking out 6. Nice outing, but remember he’s facing 19-year-old A-ballers.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
Related Articles
  1. sincekindergarten April 30, 2008 at 12:21 pm
    Ya know, four letters crossed my (twisted) mind, about Schneider . . .

    M R S A

    This is not, I type again, not an informed opinion. It’s just a gut feeling, based on what I’ve gleaned from all of this: The expletive-deleted bacterium has pretty much resisted treatment so far. It would seem to me that the Mets would be paying for the kitchen sink to be thrown into beating this bug, seeing how the pitching staff has responded when he’s been the catcher.

    Matt Wise coming back . . . I, too, think that Mighty Joe Smith is on his way back to AAA. As for Moises, he absolutely tortures LHPs, so why not?

  2. sincekindergarten April 30, 2008 at 12:30 pm
    CEASE FIRE!!! According to MetsBlog, Schneider is out of the hospital, and in the Mets locker room!
  3. isuzudude April 30, 2008 at 12:36 pm
    Metsblog actually has a report up this afternoon that says Schneider is out of the hospital and looking to resume playing this weekend. Insert deep exhale here.

    Call it a gut feeling, but I say it’s Sosa who gets DFA’d to make room for Wise. Smith has been way too effective (especially vs, righties – .118 average in 34 ABs) while Sosa has been far too unreliable and homer prone. I know Smith has the options, but in dropping Sosa the Mets aren’t really losing out on much. As for adding Alou, I’d say that Schneider should be recovered enough to at least resume a backup role by Friday, meaning Molina becomes expendable. Those are my guesses.

  4. Micalpalyn April 30, 2008 at 1:00 pm
    There’s not enuff info there even for a Microbiolgist. my read is its NOT MRSA. But staph was part of the mixed infection. But we dont know how he got the infection but they make it sound like an oppurtunistic infection (usually attributed to normal flora).
  5. joe April 30, 2008 at 1:11 pm
    Mic, you’re actually the most reliable / legitimate source we have here on the infection, so your comments are greatly appreciated!

    Gotta love the breadth of knowledge here on the MetsToday team!

  6. sincekindergarten April 30, 2008 at 1:13 pm
    Mic, hence my saying, CEASE FIRE! It was all of a sudden very obvious that I was barking up the wrong tree.
  7. Micalpalyn April 30, 2008 at 1:21 pm
    While on Schneider: I noted Isuzu’s sigh of relief………(ha-ha).
    a. Schneider is winning some big kudos on his catching notably the fact the ERA is a run lower when he plays…
    b. Plus his 17hits in 55 ABs is handy too.

    2. Other Random thoughts:
    -Who is Chad Moeller? http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/chad_moeller/index.html