Mets' Tommy Pham to get MRI on sore right groin
New York Mets' Tommy Pham walks off the field with a trainer in the first inning against the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Credit: AP/Derrick Tuskan
SAN DIEGO — Mets outfielder Tommy Pham will get an MRI on Monday after leaving Sunday’s game because of soreness in his right groin.
After a 6-2 loss to the Padres to finish the pre-All-Star break schedule, Pham suggested he isn’t very concerned because this feels similar to an injury he suffered in 2018. In that instance, he initially missed only three games, though his right groin presented problems periodically the rest of the season, never seriously enough to require a stay on the injured list.
Pham said he “felt great” before chasing Ha-Seong Kim’s single to leftfield to begin the bottom of the first inning.
“I felt my groin get tight. I knew instantly it was not something I should push through,” he said. “It would only get worse. So I signaled to the training staff and was removed from the game.”
Manager Buck Showalter said the Mets have a “good idea of the timeframe” but will know better after getting test results Monday. He didn’t want to speculate on whether Pham will need to go on the injured list.
One of the Mets’ hottest hitters during the past month-plus, Pham signed as a backup outfielder in January but has been the starting leftfielder of late. His .835 OPS leads the team. If the Mets become sellers in the leadup to the Aug. 1 trade deadline, he would be a prime candidate to get dealt.
Pham said going to the doctor in New York won’t interfere with his All-Star break plans because he was headed there anyway. He wants to reacclimate to the time change after the Mets’ week in the West.
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.
