The Mets currently have 16 players on the IL, including high-profile stars like Jacob deGrom and Francisco Lindor.
Injuries have been a consistent narrative throughout the season, but acting general manager Zack Scott seems to be looking at the players when it comes to the team's inability to shake the injury bug, and not at the training and performance staff.
"In some cases, you can have the best plan, and if the plan is not followed, that's not gonna necessarily yield a good result all the time," Scott said. "So sometimes that's the issue…there's nothing that stood out to me as far as an egregious mistake in our process and in our treatment and training that led to it.
"Most of the time, I'll be honest, it's compliance issues. Actually following the plan because these are all individuals and control their own bodies. Sometimes they're not as compliant as they should be. I've seen that happen in the past."
Scott said he wasn't looking to "vilify people" in putting some of the onus on the players, but reiterated that the team's process needs to be followed to bring about the best results in keeping players healthy or getting them back onto the field as quickly as possible.
"It's just part of what happens sometimes. It's part of what happens with us as regular non-athletes when we're trying to actually take care of ourselves," Scott said. "We kind of lapse on certain days. These guys are professionals, and for the most part, they're locked in on what they're supposed to do but sometimes it doesn't take much to – maybe you're not eating as well as you could, you've got to change some habits, or maybe you're not hydrating enough, even though everyone's on you to hydrate."
New York is currently in a painful slide that has dropped the team to third place, with no timetable for Lindor or deGrom's return, while Noah Syndergaard is also working his way back from a setback. Scott said the team has been "unacceptably bad" of late, but seems to think the team could be doing better off the field as well.
"You've got to take ownership of your career and your ownership as well," Scott said. "It's an easy narrative to put it on performance staff or hitting coaches, but that's over-simplified. It's a partnership…At some point, you've got to take responsibility. We're not just going to stick a needle in someone to hydrate them because they're not doing it themselves."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
