Mets Injury Updates: Jason Bay Returning Today, Tejada Experiences Setback

Despite losing a heart breaker to the Nationals in 12 innings last night down in D.C., Terry Collins received some good news, but also received some bad news. The only real good news that they received was that Jason Bay was deemed healthy enough to return to the Mets lineup, but Ruben Tejada experienced yet another setback with his right quad, throwing his potential comeback Friday out the window.

After being pushed back a day due to an illness, Bay played nine innings in the field at Class-A St. Lucie, while going 0-for-3 with a walk. Even though he didn’t show much at the plate, he will be getting the call up to rejoin the Mets for the first time since he fractured his rib on April 24th. No announcements have been made as to what roster moves will take place to make room for Bay, but it is almost certain that Josh Satin, who was called up to replace the injured Mike Baxter, will be sent back down to the minors.

In last night’s loss to Bryce Harper and the Nationals, both Chris Young and Miguel Batista made their returns to the Mets; Young is now the second Met this season (joining Johan Santana) to come back after rehabbing from shoulder capsule surgery. The tall righty from Princeton threw five innings and allowed two earned runs in his first outing of the season, giving the Mets hope that he can take over Mike Pelfrey‘s spot in the rotation. Also, Miguel Batista gave the understaffed bullpen a boost with two shutout innings

in his return from a strained back muscle. Jonathon Niese heard good news as well, as doctors said he’s good to pitch on his regular schedule despite exiting his start Sunday with an accelerated heartbeat. This is the second time Niese has experienced this and will eventually undergo a small procedure to correct the condition, but is cleared to resume his normal activity, starting Sunday with a start against the Yankees in the Bronx.

All of this news is good, but Ruben Tejada’s rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo hit a major bump in the road last night. The young shortstop reported some tightness in his right quad and was pulled after two innings of play. Collins told the media that Tejada will be leaving his rehab assignment to report back to Port St. Lucie and undergo more treatment. There is no timetable yet for another return as the frustration builds with this strained quad injury.

The bullpen is not in good shape right now (and I mean health-wise) as Ramon Ramirez officially hit the disabled list with strained hamstring, while Jon Rauch is remaining in New York while the Mets are in Washington because doctors found “debris” in his elbow after he reported tenderness in his throwing arm. Doctors said that the condition would calm after a few days off and the Mets are expecting Rauch to be ready for action Friday against the Yanks. The six-man rotation will be in place for only this week, with Jeremy Hefner most likely moving back to the bullpen after his start tonight against Washington.

So, although there seems to be more bad news than good, it will be nice to get another right-handed bat into a lineup that is dominated by left-handers. Before Collins has to figure out some rotation that will work to get Bay, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and Andres Torres consistent playing time, the Mets will be in AL parks for six games starting on Friday, with Bay being the likely candidate to be the DH.