It's March, and the Mets are Dropping Like Flies

While spring is supposed to allow fans of even the most untalented teams to dream of an October championship, the early returns of spring training have not been kind to the Mets. From a draw against the University of Michigan to a home run allowed by Johan Santana in his very first inning as a Met, there has been precious little in the way of good news to help New York move past 2007’s epic collapse.

And then there are the injuries in camp. The good news is that it’s still a long way until April, let alone October. The bad news … Well, here’s a rundown of the injuries, from least worrisome to most.

No Big Deal

Carlos Beltran has yet to play in a spring training game. Ditto Luis Castillo. Both are recovering from offseason knee surgery. But neither was expected to play yet, and in fact, that both are likely to be pain-free once they do rejoin the lineup should allow them to improve upon their 2007 seasons. And Castillo was already solid in 2007, while Beltran was often spectacular.

Somewhat Troubling

Brian Schneider tweaked his hamstring and is reportedly out of action for a while. This doesn’t seem likely to create a long-term problem for the Mets, but in the short run, Schneider, in his first season with the Mets, is missing out on the chance to develop a rapport and rhythm with Met pitchers.

Ruben Gotay hurt his ankle sliding into second base on Sunday. It is still unclear how hurt he is—the initial reports were that he’d be out just a few days, but he’s been spotted in Port St. Lucie in a protective boot and crutches, and he underwent a CAT scan Tuesday morning. Gotay’s versatility will be missed if he is out for any extended time, though Damion Easley can cover most of Gotay’s positions.

Problem is, Easley has yet to play this spring, either, as the recovery from his severe ankle injury last August continues. He has said that he expects to play sooner rather than later—but with Easley not only the Mets’ only other shortstop and second base option, but also their primary right-handed bat off the bench, sooner or later can’t come soon enough.

Endy Chavez has also yet to appear in a spring contest after hurting his ankle in winter ball. While he is expected back in the lineup soon, any unforeseen delay would be catastrophic to the Mets, who need Chavez to fill in for Moises Alou. Alou is suffering from a strained groin, and if history is any indication, he will have plenty of injuries to come. [UPDATE: Case in point—Alou's strained groin turned out to be hernia surgery. He's out an estimated 4-6 weeks.]

Worrisome

Orlando Hernandez, who was bothered by a bunion all last season, is still bothered by it after being told that surgery would require two years of recovery time. He did, however, have related surgery on a toe, and has yet to do more than throw half-speed bullpen sessions. With only the untested Mike Pelfrey as a viable option behind El Duque for the fifth spot in the rotation, this lingers as a major concern. Fortunately, Pelfrey has been effective thus far—but unless he’s getting hitters to swing and miss more than last year, it is hard to see him approaching Hernandez’s effectiveness.

Ryan Church and Marlon Anderson, meanwhile, collided on Sunday, giving Church a concussion and Anderson a bruised chest and jaw. Church has no memory of the collision, and Anderson is still hurting. While Anderson is likely to return to action soon, Church’s Grade II concussion will need to be watched carefully. And if he doesn’t recover as quickly as hoped, the Mets’ best right-field options, since Lastings Milledge is gone, are now Brady Clark and Angel Pagan.

Bad

Carlos Delgado’s sore hip led to a trip to New York this week for an MRI. The diagnosis is “hip impingement,” which is suspiciously like the injury that kept Delgado out for several weeks in September. It is hard to imagine that if a winter of rest failed to heal Delgado, a summer of playing will do the trick. The Mets lack first-base options, should Delgado be injured or ineffective. The main choices appear to be Damion Easley and Marlon Anderson.

Both are currently out of action.