Mets place Tomas Nido on injured list with dry eye syndrome
Tomas Nido is off to a .118 (6-for-51) start with no extra-base hits for the Mets this season. Credit: Getty Images
CINCINNATI — Tomas Nido landed on the injured list Wednesday with a vision issue that manager Buck Showalter said “probably” had impacted his ability to catch and hit recently.
Nido is dealing with dry eye syndrome, according to the team. That is a common condition that “occurs when your tears aren’t able to provide adequate lubrication for your eyes,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include blurred vision, a stinging/burning sensation in the eyes and sensitivity to light.
Showalter said the Mets expect Nido will be OK in a few days. He’ll be eligible to return from the IL next Wednesday.
“There’s some things they want to get corrected so his vision is not a challenge for him,” Showalter said, noting that Nido had problems during night games in particular. “It’s not something that’s been going on all season, but it hasn’t gotten better. We want to get it corrected. They think they can.”
Nido’s struggles this season include a .118 average (6-for-51) with no extra-base hits.
In his place, the Mets called up catcher Michael Perez from Triple-A Syracuse. He is a 30-year-old journeyman who got into six games with the Mets last season.
Nido’s temporary absence means top prospect Francisco Alvarez is the clear top choice behind the plate — a role he unofficially already has had lately, starting nine of 12 games through Wednesday. He was slashing .348/.423/.696 in that limited sample.
“It’s easier when you’re playing more often,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “I’ve always had a lot of trust in myself, a lot of confidence in myself. But now, when you already have that confidence in yourself and you start to get the results, you’re like, ‘Man, everything I’m putting into the game I’m getting back.’ ”
Showalter said: “He’s showing us that he can handle the load.”
Scherzer update
Max Scherzer tried to play catch Wednesday afternoon but it didn’t last long or go well.
His neck was still "in spasm," as he put it. He said, however, that felt better and had improved range of motion compared with the day before, when the Mets scratched him from his start against the Reds.
"It hasn't fully let go yet," he said.
The Mets plan to slot him in during the Nationals series, which runs Friday-Monday.
Extra bases
Carlos Carrasco (right elbow bone spur) will make another rehab start, perhaps Sunday, Showalter said. He totaled about 45 pitches — 33 in the game, the rest in the bullpen after exiting — for Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday . . . Brooks Raley (left elbow inflammation) struck out three batters and worked around a two-out triple in a scoreless inning for Binghamton on Wednesday, his first and probably only rehab appearance. He is penciled in to return Saturday . . . The Mets moved Elieser Hernandez (right shoulder strain) to the 60-day IL.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
