Injury. It has been the lingering storm cloud hanging over New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes' career.
After two injury-plagued years, it seemed as if Reyes had finally gotten off the injury schneid this season.
But not so fast.
Sources told ESPNNewYork.com that the Mets have arranged for Nick Evans, a utility player from Triple-A Buffalo, to fly out to Los Angeles, where the Mets are currently playing the Dodgers. That means that Reyes will likely be put on the disabled list.
He currently leads the majors in batting average (.354), and he has 30 stolen bases, 65 runs scored and 32 RBIs to his credit. On the defensive side of the diamond, Reyes has always been a gem, and with a .971 fielding percentage so far this year, that has not changed. Throw in the fact that Reyes plays for the struggling, often hapless (although currently above .500) Mets, and those numbers are even more impressive.
So the story on Reyes this year seemed to be that he had somehow found a way to push that ominous cloud away, and he was leaping and running around in brighter, better pastures. He had finally shaken off the injury bug, and just in time to lend his speed and talents to a team actually still in contention by August (aka, not the Mets). Those plans now appear to be on hold.
The 28-year-old shortstop strained his left hamstring on Saturday against the Mets' crosstown rival Yankees. Since then, Reyes has been working out on a stationary bike and taking ground balls to test the strength of his hamstring.
"We have to see what is going to be the best-case scenario for me," said Reyes. "If I have to go [to the DL], if I really need to go, I have to do it."
If Reyes does ultimately get sent to the DL, it will be the third time in his career that he will be unable to play in the All-Star game due to injury.
The Mets have been hesitant to put Reyes on the DL since he sustained his injury on Saturday, because that would mean he would be unable to play in their post-All-Star series against the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies. And for the Mets, who are surprisingly only 6 1/2 games out of the wild card, the last thing they want is to lose their most dynamic player for a series that could potentially make-or-break their season.
Still, in four games without Reyes, the Mets have managed to come away with a win each time.
