An offseason focused on flexibility and injury prevention did not allow Yoenis Cespedes to avoid the disabled list. Following days of consideration, the Mets opted Wednesday to place Cespedes on the 10-day DL with a strained right hip flexor, retroactive to Monday. Cespedes will be eligible to return May 24.
Injuring his hip in a May 6 game, Cespedes initially played through the injury, going 5-for-15 with two walks and a home run in five games. On Tuesday, he underwent an MRI, which revealed the strain, but the Mets still did not place him on the DL at that time. Only after playing shorthanded in their 12-2 win over the Blue Jays did the team decide to make a move, calling up utilityman Phillip Evans from Triple-A Las Vegas.
“The information I have is that he can get this resolved with some rest,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said of Cespedes. “He could have continued to gut it out, continued to play. We were hoping with the off-day and days like that, the progression would be there at some point, maybe this would go away while he was playing. … [We decided to] take a different route and make sure that we are cautious with him and get him back to being the Cespedes he can be soon.”
Honestly, this has gotten ridiculous. It’s the same quad issue that pops up every year with this guy. And the Mets have way too much invested in Cespedes to not take this extra seriously, much less wonder how often it’s going to keep happening. It’s been reported that Cespedes has given up golfing in his spare time during the season and even changed his workout regimen (even taking up yoga) to prevent these quad issues from arising. But clearly, that hasn’t worked. And when your team’s struggling and the same health issue keeps happening to your best player, it’s beyond frustrating to a Mets fan.