Update, 4:13 PM: Terry Collins said Murphy has been cleared for baseball activities, but did not offer a specific timetable for his return.
Update, 11:43 AM: Black threw today, and the session went well, Matt Ehalt of the Bergen Record tweets.
Original Post. 11:00 AM: Health issues continue to plague the Mets clubhouse at an inopportune time this spring, but Sandy Alderson expressed confidence on Tuesday at least one of his injured players could be ready for the start of the season.
Alderson said he thinks it’s still possible Daniel Murphy – who pulled his hamstring late last week – will be ready for Opening Day, whereas it remains unclear if Vic Black will be healthy enough to avoid a stint of the disabled list to start the season.
Black has been sidelined for almost two weeks with inflammation in his right shoulder. An MRI on Black’s shoulder came back clean last weekend, but was unable to resume his throwing program early last week after reporting continued pain.
Black is expected to resume throwing today in Port St. Lucie.
If Black is unable to go, there could be three openings in the Mets bullpen, with only Carlos Torres, Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia, and Rafael Montero having secured jobs heading into the season.
The Mets are evaluating Zack Thornton, according to Terry Collins, as well as Buddy Carlyle, and both have been impressive in Spring Training. Carlyle has an out clause in his deal with the Mets, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, so provided he continues to perform in Grapefruit League games, he should remain a strong contender for a bullpen role regardless.
Neither Carlyle or Thornton are on the 40-man roster. However, there is some roster flexibility, as they could easily take the place of both Josh Edgin and Zack Wheeler – each will be placed on the 60-day disabled list when the season starts, thus freeing up space on the roster. If the Mets take two left-handed relievers north with them, I suspect Carlyle would get the job. However, Thornton could be worth watching if they decide to only take one lefty with them.
Just Mets 