Another day has passed with Michael Cuddyer unavailable and the Mets in a holding pattern regarding whether or not they will be placing the injured left fielder on the 15-day disabled list.
But a decision on Cuddyer could be coming within the next 24 hours.
Cuddyer is visiting with team physicians at the Hospital for Special Surgery today, and Sandy Alderson said a decision on whether or not the club will place Cuddyer on the disabled list will come either late tonight or tomorrow.
Alderson does not expect much to change in the condition of Cuddyer’s knee, although Terry Collins said earlier in the day Cuddyer is actually feeling worse now than he did before.
Part of the worsening for Cuddyer are the side effects from the anti-inflammatory medication, as it’s causing him to be light headed at times.
As for who might replace Cuddyer, Sandy Alderson would not speculate on that, although a club source indicated the front office was still discussing the possibility of promoting Michael Conforto from Double-A Binghamton.
When asked about the possibility of calling Conforto up, Alderson expressed concern about possibly calling up a player directly from Double-A.
Alderson spoke specifically about the long-term ramifications immediate failure in the major leagues can have on a young player, especially one which lacks a lot of professional experience such as Conforto.
“Young players aren’t always successful from the get go,” Alderson said about Conforto.
He did acknowledge the Mets have been fortunate with their call-ups this year, as have the Chicago Cubs in their promotions of Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and now Kyle Schwarber.
Alderson said the club isn’t necessarily considering promoting a replacement for Cuddyer who could play everyday, although if it is Conforto, odds are he will see everyday action.
The only other realistic alternative to Conforto is Las Vegas outfielder Travis Taijeron, although like Conforot, Taijeron is not on the 40-man roster. Taijeron was a Pacific Coast All-Star in 2015 and has had a nice year, but he strikes out a ton, so his game might not play well right now outside of the Pacific Coast League.
At any rate, it seems like the stars are aligned for Conforto to arrive as soon as Cuddyer goes on the disabled list, which could be tomorrow. He now doesn’t have to face Zack Greinke, who has been scratched after his wife went into labor.
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