By WFAN.com
Robinson Cano heard it from fans and media alike when he didn't hustle out a couple of double-play grounders over the weekend.
He was benched by Mickey Callaway for Monday's game, possibly because of his lack of hustle. He then attempted to hustle in the third inning of Wednesday's game against the Nationals. Cano sprinted as he tried to beat out another grounder, but he pulled up with an injury before he could make it to first base.
Cano ultimately had to be replaced by Adeiny Hechavarria, and now is set for a spell on the sidelines, as is Jeff McNeil.
On Thursday, Callaway announced that Cano and McNeil are being placed on the injured list. Cano goes to the IL with a low-grade quad strain, while McNeil is out with hamstring tightness.
Robinson Cano *and* Jeff McNeil are heading to the IL. -- pic.twitter.com/Yb42YvaQvu
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 23, 2019The 36-year-old Cano has struggled since the Mets acquired him from the Mariners in December. He was hitting .241 with only three homeruns in 2019 so far. That's a disappointment considering what New York gave up in the trade for the Dominican. And the way he was injured was typical Mets' bad luck.
Robinson Cano is out of the game after appearing to hurt something on his way to first base: pic.twitter.com/GZ8oaxfFXm
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 23, 2019McNeil had not been struggling. In fact, he has been the team's best hitter so far. McNeil was batting .333 with 15 RBIs before going down with this injury.
The injuries to Cano and McNeil are the latest problems for a team that is struggling in the standings and struggling to keep players on the field. Brandon Nimmo was placed on the injured list on Wednesday, while Jed Lowrie hasn't played yet this season. Yoenis Cespedes may not play at all this year after news broke that he had broken both of his ankles after a recent fall at his ranch in Florida.
Still, it doesn't seem like either of the injuries to Cano and McNeil are too serious.
The Mets' 23-25 record is currently good enough for third place in the NL East. New York goes for a sweep as it concludes its series with the Nationals on Thursday afternoon.
Listen to Mets games this season on the team's new flagship station -- our sister station -- WCBS 880 AM.
