Mets righty Sam Coonrod is shut down with 'high-grade lat strain'
Mets pitcher Sam Coonrod poses for a portrait during Photo Day at Clover Park on Feb. 23 in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Righthander Sam Coonrod, who was having an excellent spring training and had a chance to make the Mets’ Opening Day bullpen, has been shut down with what the club on Wednesday called a “high-grade lat strain.”
Manager Buck Showalter said Coonrod, who had not been scored upon in five spring training innings, will be out for a length of time he was not at liberty to divulge.
The Mets claimed the 30-year-old Coonrod off waivers from the Phillies in the offseason. An MRI taken on Wednesday after Coonrod felt something in an outing on Tuesday had the Mets concerned.
“When we did the tests and the imaging today, I think our guys were worried about what they might find,” Showalter said. “He was having a great spring (and showing) the reason why he’s a guy that people continue to give chances to if he can just stay healthy. But we’re hoping however long it’s going to be, we’ll be able to get him back because he was pitching as good as anybody in camp.”
Already in spring training, the Mets have lost starter Jose Quintana for the first half of the season because of a stress fracture in his rib and righthander Bryce Montes de Oca for at least a month because of a stress reaction in his elbow.
They are hoping lefty Brooks Raley can make it to Opening Day despite injuring his hamstring preparing to play for the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic.
General manager Billy Eppler said Raley was “week-to-week,” but Raley said he hopes to be ready for the March 30 opener.
“I definitely see that as a strong possibility,” Raley said.
Extra bases
Kodai Senga (tendinitis, right index finger) will start on Thursday night at Washington after getting scratched from his last start . . . Tomas Nido hit his third home run in the Mets’ 4-1 loss to St. Louis.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
