Mets 6 Phillies 3

It was Jeremy Hefner Day at Citi Field, and Hefner responded with a strong six-inning outing and a solo homer to entertain the crowd.

Within the next 2-3 weeks, the Mets should be getting 3 key injured players back.  SS Ruben Tejada, C Josh Thole, and OF Jason Bay are all beginning to play rehab games this week.  So which players on the current major league roster will they replace?

In the case of Thole, the answer is simple – Either Mike “Grand Slam” Nickeas or Rob “Snap Throw to First” Johnson (whoever is sucking the most when the time comes) will be replaced.

Has Kirk done enough to stay on the big club?

When Tejada comes back, he would have replaced Vinny Rottino.  However, the injury to Justin Turner muddies the picture a bit.

Omar Quintanilla is likely to replace Turner on the roster.  If Tejada then replaces Quintanilla, the Mets will only have one player to backup second base, shortstop, and third base – Ronny Cedeno.  That’s assuming Cedeno’s minor quad strain doesn’t turn into a major pain in the posterior.  If the Mets decide they need 2 backup infielders, then Quintanilla would stay, and Rottino would be sent down after all.

For the sake of this post, let’s assume the latter will be the scenario.

With that in mind, the decision of whom to drop when Bay returns becomes complicated.  It’s doubtful the Mets will carry 6 outfielders, so someone is going to have to go.  Here are the candidates for replacement:

Unsurprisingly, Manny Acosta has been designated for assignment, which means he can’t pour gasoline on fires in Flushing for at least a week. There is a possibility, however, that he brings his Fahrenheit 451-style fireman skills to Buffalo. But let’s not think about that for now.

Yes, we’ve been screaming for Acosta’s removal since late April (some wondered how he made it to spring training in the first place), but now that the symptom has been treated, the Mets have to find a cure for the actual sickness.

As if the Phillies’ injury issues couldn’t get worse, they’ve now lost starter Roy Halladay for an undetermined time due to a shoulder problem.

Suddenly, Roy Oswalt looks like a viable option for the Phillies.

For those who have been following MetsToday, the Halladay injury is not exactly a surprise. From May 8th:

I can’t put my finger on what exactly is wrong, but I think there might be a physical issue with Roy Halladay. His follow-through looks cut off, with his upper body staying a bit too high from what I remember. In fact he’s putting too much stress on his arm with his finish. Additionally, his arm angle occasionally dropped a bit below low three-quarter — he was just about sidearm on several pitches. He’s also throwing more curveballs than his normal rate. Finally, his arm tended to drag behind his body, particularly as the game wore on. All these factors suggest that he may have either a shoulder or back issue. I hope that’s not the case, because as a baseball fan I absolutely love watching him deal. Let’s just say I won’t be stunned if at some point this season he goes on the DL with an arm and/or back problem.

Considering what I saw in that game and his 88-MPH gun readings in spring training, my guess is that Halladay has severely damaged his shoulder — and likely needing surgery. Though such a turn of events is good for the Mets, it doesn’t please me as a baseball fan, because I thoroughly enjoy watching Halladay as an artist at work.