PHILADELPHIA — The Mets have gained more insight into the cause of left-hander Paul Blackburn’s lower back discomfort.
“It’s a somewhat rare baseball injury,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns revealed on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. “He has a spinal fluid leak in his mid-back.”
Although this situation is not expected to be long-term, Stearns acknowledges that it sounds “troubling.” This condition is why Blackburn has been on the injured list with a right-hand contusion since August 24.
The 30-year-old veteran began experiencing pain after a bullpen session at Citi Field, leading up to his planned start last Monday in Toronto. Now that the team has identified the issue, they are working to determine the next steps and how quickly he might return to the rotation.
“We’re consulting with specialists to determine the most effective treatment,” Stearns said. “As for a timeline, I don’t have one yet. This is an uncommon injury for a baseball player. Given that he’s a pitcher and a rotational athlete, we need more information before we can even start estimating a return date.”
In the interim, Tylor Megill will continue to fill Blackburn’s spot in the rotation. Megill has a 4.48 ERA and 73 strikeouts over 13 games this season, leading all Mets starters with a 27% strikeout rate (minimum 60 innings).
Blackburn went on the IL after taking a line drive to the hand against the Padres on August 23. Although the Mets initially hoped he would avoid the IL after a CT scan revealed a bruise, continued stiffness and soreness led to his placement on the 15-day IL, as reported by Newsday’s Tim Healey.
In 14 starts this season, Blackburn holds a 4.66 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. His 5.18 ERA with the Mets over five starts is somewhat misleading due to two poor outings; he allowed just three earned runs in 18 innings in his other three starts, resulting in a 1.50 ERA.
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