Mets injury update: Mets might be without Juan Uribe for NLDS

Juan Uribe arrived in Queens via a late-July trade to help bring life to a severely struggling lineup and to be a veteran leader—with some pop in his bat—with two World Series rings for a team hoping to make a post-season run. Now, entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Mets lineup has become one of the best in baseball, and Uribe is the one severely struggling—to get healthy.

Uribe's chest injury is reportedly not improving at all, which puts him in jeopardy of being left off the NLDS roster. The Mets would desperately like to have him available to help counteract the Dodgers' lefty-heavy starting rotation.

Uribe first injured his chest diving for a ground ball in an 11-2 loss to the Yankees on September 20. An MRI the next day showed no signs of damage. After sitting for two games, he returned against the Atlanta Braves on September 23 and collected a ninth-inning pinch-hit single in a 6-3 loss. Two days later, Uribe had to leave a game against the Cincinnati Reds in the middle of an at-bat when a check swing aggravated the injury.

Uribe has provided some solid pop to the order since being acquired, slugging six home runs in 143 plate appearances. On the year against lefties, in 103 plate appearances with the Mets, Braves, and Dodgers, he's hit .272 with seven home runs, 15 RBIs, and a .543 slugging percentage. He also went 2-for-4 with a walk-off RBI in his first series as a Met against the Dodgers, the Mets' forthcoming NLDS opponent.

For Terry Collins, the postseason roster already had enough questions in regard to the starting rotation order, bullpen, and platoon system. Now with Uribe's injury, Collins may very well be looking for a 25th man as well.

For those fringe bench players like Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Eric Campbell, Eric Young Jr., and the fringe relievers like Logan Verrett, Sean Gilmartin, Bobby Parnell, and Carlos Torres, these next few days could be the opportunity for any of them to play their way onto the roster.