Yet another Mets starting pitcher has gone down with an injury, as Griffin Canning left Thursday’s series finale against the Braves with an Achilles injury, and the outlook is bleak, as the righty could miss the rest of the season.
Canning’s injury comes after news of Sean Manaea still dealing with loose bodies in his elbow as he tries to work his way towards a season debut, while Kodai Senga is on the shelf with a hamstring injury. Frankie Montas, one of the main pitching additions for New York this past offseason, just made his season debut earlier this week.
Tylor Megill is also out with an elbow sprain.
As the hits keep coming to the Mets staff, there is no choice but to wait on the next man up as New York is caught in a tight battle in the NL East after taking the lead back from the Phillies after Thursday’s win over Atlanta.
“This is our third one now,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of the injuries to the starting rotation. “Nobody's going to feel sorry for us.
We'll find a way, guys will step up.”
Guys certainly stepped up on Thursday, as the bullpen combined to pitch a shutout to give the Mets a 4-0 win. They will need more of that in the weeks to come, as they are losing one of the champions of their pitching lab efforts in Canning, who was the latest low-risk signing to give the team better-than-expected results after joining the team.
Canning seemed to take a wrong step on the side of the mound after forcing a grounder to short, and he very gingerly made his way off the field with the help of Mendoza and the training staff.
“It sucks. You hate to see it, especially the way he went down right away,” Mendoza said. “I feel sorry for the guy, especially how big he has been for us and the way he has been throwing the ball all year. He has been pretty consistent. It’s unfortunate. You hate to see it. You feel for the guy. We just have to wait right now.”