Travis d'Arnaud is headed to the disable list with a partially torn UCL.
Major news from the #Mets. Travis d'Arnaud has a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow. Tommy John surgery possible. Tomas Nido up. TdA on DL.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) April 11, 2018
Travis entered the season in a platoon with Kevin Plawecki, and thus far, had started four of the Mets' 10 games. He has slashed .200/.250/.400 with a homer and three RBIs.
It's incredibly frustrating for d'Arnaud, who never can seem to stay on the field. D'Arnaud played in a career-high 112 games last season, and has only eclipsed the 100 games played mark one other time (2014) in his big league career. At 29, this is widely viewed as a make-or-break season for the former-top prospect. With Tommy John a real possibility, it's a devastating blow to his career.
The silver lining is that the Mets are in a position to absorb this hit. Plawecki is Noah Syndergaard's personal catcher anyway, so he was guaranteed to get a significant amount of time behind the plate. And even though Plawecki's batting average (.158) isn't where you'd want it, he's getting on base at a .360 clip. And that average mark may rise naturally anyway. He's posted a .214 BABIP against a 35.7 hard-hit rate, which suggests that he's been exceedingly unlucky so far this season. It's a long way of saying that, at least offensively, the Mets shouldn't lose out much with Plawecki getting the bulk of the at bats, especially once Plaw starts getting a few more fortuitous bounces.
Then there's Nido, who is the Mets' top catching prospect, and has considerable value to this squad. He's got a cannon for an arm, and that's something the Mets wouldn't mind having behind the dish for a spot start or two. It remains to be seen if he will hit enough in the Bigs to justify a full-time roster spot, but this could act as a good opportunity to get a glimpse of Nido's potential.
It's a tough blow for Travis, one that I personally hope he's able to bounce back from. But if there's something to take solace in, it's that the Mets should be fine in his absence.
Our 4rd trip to Fenway is set for Monday May 19th. We're rolling with 1,000 fans, and we'd love to see as many of your amazin' faces at the pre-game as possible. Drinks specials, bowling, pool tables, and more.
Swing by the K Korner on Friday May 9th before the Mets take on the Cubs. If you're sitting with us or not, you can enjoy exclusive specials on Montauk draft beers by rocking T7L merch to the bar.
We're kicking the day off on Saturday April 26th with some miles around DC. Start your morning off on a positive foot, then sightsee or do whatever else you have planned before the Mets/T7LA pre-game party. We picked a slightly shorter route than our usual fun runs. JOIN US!
Brian Erni
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