New York Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera is set to miss around two weeks of action before returning to baseball activity due to a knee injury.
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Cabrera Facing Tight Timetable For Opening Day
Friday, March 11
Marc Carig of Newsday passed along a statement from the club, which noted an MRI showed a strained patella tendon in Cabrera’s left knee. He’s returned to New York for a PRP injection and will then rest for a couple of weeks before trying to ramp up his spring training preparations again.
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com provided comments from the shortstop after he left Thursday’s game early. He didn’t think it was something that would keep him out for an extended period.
“I felt something in my knee,” Cabrera said. “It’s sore right now … [but] I’m walking fine. I don’t think it’s anything serious.”
The 30-year-old veteran signed with the Mets back in December. He’s currently slated to serve as the team’s starting shortstop, but the injury timeline could make it difficult for him to get ready in time for Opening Day.
Even if there are no issues during the initial phase of recovery, a two-week absence would leave him with only about one week to get back up to speed. Though it’s possible he could make it work, everything would need to progress perfectly.
The Mets also want to make sure Cabrera is completely recovered before putting him into competitive games. He was just two for 12 with no extra-base hits during the early stages of spring training.
Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores will probably spend the rest of the preseason battling to fill the void should Cabrera miss the start of the regular season. They split time last season with Tejada getting on base more frequently (.338 to .295 in OBP), but Flores providing more pop (16 to three in HRs).
Cabrera should provide a more stabilizing presence once he returns to full strength. Exactly how long that’s going to take is a mystery at this stage.
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