New York Mets pitcher Paul Blackburn will begin the season on the injured list due to right knee inflammation, president of baseball operations David Stearns revealed on Wednesday, just 24 hours before Opening Day.
“He got through his most recent outing in good shape, no problem,” Stearns said (h/t SNY). “Reported the next day with a little bit of knee soreness. It persisted the following day.”
Blackburn received an injection “to calm it down” and has been shut down from throwing for seven to 10 days. It is not expected to be a serious issue, though, and he is expected to return within the month of April.
The 31-year-old right-hander was slated to begin the season in the bullpen after losing out on the competition for one of the final two rotational spots against Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning. He posted a 5.68 ERA across five spring training appearances.
It was Blackburn’s first action back since undergoing spinal surgery late last season. He was acquired by the Mets from the Athletics at the trade deadline to bolster the rotation, but failed to deliver, posting a 5.18 ERA before being shelved by the injury.
With him sidelined, as well as fellow reliever Dedniel Nunez, it allowed both Huascar Brazoban and Max Kranick to make the Opening Day roster.
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