On whether the Mets want to get rid of Jordany Valdespin:

No, we need to have him. He brings a lot to the ballclub…yesterday, he spent an hour during batting practice shagging balls. He’s electric off the bench, he loves those big situations, and it’s tough to find somebody at this level who does it.

Do they not play Valdespin because they don’t like him?

That’s not true…his best position is second base and right now Daniel Murphy is red hot.

May 5, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) watches the action from the dugout against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Ed Coleman (of WFAN) said there are guys on this team that are “done with Valdespin.” Is that true?

There’s guys in every clubhouse that for some reason rub people the wrong way…

On the team being terrible recently day in and day out:

The one thing you cannot show is panic and I’m not gonna panic. I’m as frustrated as anybody…I make sure that the guys know I have confidence in them. They’ve got to have confidence in themselves and they’ve got to believe in themselves…as far as our pitching goes…we gotta be better and I know we are better…nobody’s more upset than Dillon [Gee]. He’s just furious with himself, he knows he’s better. I told him ‘don’t panic.’

On Juan Lagares being over-matched at the plate:

One of these days we’re gonna get to a point here where our minor leaguers are gonna figure out how to be here…this kid is learning how to play at the major league level, and he’s had very little AAA time, but that’s what we have right now. We gotta do the best we can to help him get better.

Was he on board with the Rick Ankiel signing?

Yeah, I just thought he gave us a quality defender who’s dangerous when he gets hot. A veteran guy who can help out [Juan] Lagares and be a bat off the bench for us.

Does he worry that the team will tune him out?

I’m not gonna throw my hands up. I did that before (in Anaheim), it didn’t work. In other places I’ve been, we’ve needed to make deals and we didn’t make ‘em and it got to me. I walk out there every day and I worry about the guys who are out there…I got down on guys years ago and it cost me…I’m not gonna let that happen again…I’m responsible for who plays…it’s not because they’re not trying, we’ve just gotta do a better job of executing.

On him not liking Ruben Tejada’s approach at the plate recently:

He’s gotta stay on top of the baseball…when he’s effective, it’s when he’s hitting ground balls and line drives. I told him ‘you’re either tired or you’re changing your approach.’ He’s gotta stop that.

Why hasn’t Ike Davis been sent down?

I’m well aware that he’s gotta get going…last night, nothing to show for it, he and Lucas [Duda] hit the ball very well…I’m not asking you to get base on balls, I’m asking you to drive in runs. Therefore, when you get balls in the strike zone, you’ve gotta start putting them in play.

Can he sense that the recent poor play is wearing on his players?

I can sense there’s a little pressing going on…the coaches, the captain of our team, we’ve gotta stand up here and be the guys that are positive…getting them ready to play every day…we haven’t changed our clubhouse..we’re not banning stuff, turning TV’s off. This is the big leagues, and it takes a special kind of person to play here and we’re trying to get that through to these guys.

On Shaun Marcum:

Shaun told me the other day that this is the best he’s felt since he came to spring training. It (Marcum’s poor performance thus far) shows the ramifications of what happens when you don’t have spring…we need him tonight desperately to give us a good game.

On the bullpen turnover and overuse:

I feel terrible, I know we’re wearing some of these guys out…that’s why it comes down to the starting pitching…when you go to your bullpen as much as we have and as early as we have, you’re gonna have some tough games.

On his comments yesterday regarding the fact that he doesn’t answer to the fans:

I respect the fans immensely…certainly I meant no harm, no disrespect to them. I hope that’s cleared up.

 

Thanks for reading! Be sure to Like Rising Apple’s Facebook page and follow@RisingAppleBlog on Twitter to keep up with the latest news, rumors, and opinion.

Per Zack Wheeler’s agent Al Goetz and relayed by Jorge Castillo of the Star Ledger, Zack Wheeler was examined today in New York by the Mets’ team doctors.  According to Goetz, Wheeler is “All good.”  Wheeler had reported soreness in his right clavicle, and the doctors found no structural damage.  After Castillo’s report, Adam Rubin tweeted the following:

Zack Wheeler is OK. Just a little inflammation. Received cortisone shot. Should start throwing again in a couple of days.

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) May 15, 2013

Inflammation with Zack Wheeler was to AC joint at top of right shoulder. Flying to Omaha to rejoin Vegas. Missing tomorrow’s start only.

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) May 15, 2013

The Mets have yet to release a statement, but this is certainly a sigh of relief for Wheeler, the Mets, and the fans. 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Zack Wheeler, the top pitching prospect in the Mets organization and one of the highest ranked prospects in all of baseball, has a sore right clavicle and will miss his next start for Las Vegas. Wheeler, 22, reported the soreness after his start on Saturday, and is being flown to New York to be examined by team doctors tomorrow.

Per Adam Rubin, Wheeler was already examined by a doctor in Las Vegas, but is being flown to New York out of “an abundance of caution.”

Feb 21, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (65) poses for a picture during photo day at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Assistant General Manager John Ricco referred to Wheeler missing the start and being flown to New York as a “conservative” move on the part of the Mets and noted that it’s due in part to the importance of Wheeler to the organization:

It was nothing that happened during the last outing. It was something that he felt a couple of days after. It’s near his right clavicle. That’s all I have right now until we have a doctor see him tomorrow. I think we’re being a little bit conservative given who it is.

Similarly, manager Terry Collins (who was likely briefed on the situation), told reporters that the issue with Wheeler “doesn’t sound serious” and that he expects him to miss just one start.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, here’s a description of the clavicle:

In human anatomy, the clavicle or collarbone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in the body that lies horizontally. It makes up part of the shoulder and the pectoral girdle and is palpable in all people, and, in people who have less fat in this region, the location of the bone is clearly visible as it creates a bulge in the skin. It receives its name from the Latin: clavicula (“little key”) because the bone rotates along its axis like a key when the shoulder is abducted.

It’s customary for Mets fans to flip out, and Wheeler is obviously one of our only reasons for optimism at this point, but this doesn’t seem like anything to be worried about.  Wheeler will see the doctors tomorrow, and they’ll hopefully confirm what Ricco stated: that the team is being conservative, and that Wheeler will miss one start out of an abundance of caution.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to Like Rising Apple’s Facebook page and follow@RisingAppleBlog on Twitter to keep up with the latest news, rumors, and opinion.

Per the beat writers, the Mets have placed Scott Atchison on the disabled list.   Atchison has inflammation from bone spurs that are aggravating the nerve in his elbow.  He’ll take anti-inflammatories, and will not be able to throw for a week.  According to Mets assistant GM John Ricco, there is no new structural damage to Atchison’s elbow (he’s been pitching with a torn UCL since opting to not have Tommy John surgery).

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Collin McHugh has been summoned from AAA Las Vegas to St. Louis.  Whether McHugh is activated is contingent upon whether Scott Atchison is placed on the disabled list.

Sep 10, 2012; Flushing, NY,USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Collin McHugh (36) pitches during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Atchison, 37, reported both tenderness in his pitching elbow and numbness in his fingers after last night’s game.  He was to be evaluated today.  Atchison missed time while with the Red Sox last year and has been pitching with a partially torn UCL.  That he may land on the shelf is no surprise, especially when you take into account the fact that he’s been overused.

McHugh, 25, has been solid in eight starts for AAA Las Vegas.  In 49.1 innings pitched, McHugh has given up 53 hits and walked 9 batters while pitching to an ERA of 2.74.  In 21.1 innings with the Mets last season, McHugh had an ERA of 7.59.

If Atchison lands on the disabled list, it’s likely that McHugh’s role in the pen will be that of the long man.  His stuff won’t play up in a late inning or one batter assignment role, so asking him to be someone who can eat up innings is probably the best route to take.

As Adam Rubin of ESPN recently pointed out, though, McHugh tossed seven innings Sunday night.  According to Rubin, that would limit McHugh to just one inning tonight if he were to be activated.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to Like Rising Apple’s Facebook page and follow@RisingAppleBlog on Twitter to keep up with the latest news, rumors, and opinion.