The New York Mets were hit with a second major injury blow in as many days as starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco is expected to miss three-to-four weeks due to a low-grade oblique strain, as first reported by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Carrasco suffered the injury after just two innings of work during the Mets’ 13-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday night, which included a lengthy rain delay that halted the veteran right-hander’s outing.
“What happened is it just got tight, and I didn’t want to push it,” Carrasco said Monday night. “On the last pitch of the game, I just felt tight… We’ve just got to wait until tomorrow, how I feel tomorrow, and then we’ll go from there.”
The 35-year-old underwent an MRI Tuesday morning to confirm the results, which is a less-severe version of the injury that held Mets ace, Max Scherzer, out for six weeks earlier this season.
Carrasco had been red hot entering his Monday-night outing against the division-rival Braves, who entered Tuesday night’s game 4.5 games back of the Mets for the top spot in the NL East. In his previous seven starts, he posted a 1.69 ERA while going 5-0 with 42 strikeouts in 42.2 innings pitched.
He was trending toward having one of the best seasons of his 13-year career, owning a 13-5 record with a 3.92 ERA.
In his absence, the Mets could call David Peterson back into the rotation for another go-around. The 26-year-old left-hander has performed admirably in his multiple stints with the big club, going 6-2 with a 3.30 ERA across 14 starts and an additional four relief appearances.
Tylor Megill, who is inching toward a return from the injured list as well, could be another option, but manager Buck Showalter has already determined that he’ll be performing as a reliever in a bullpen that’s in need of some reliable depth.
