For a team riding an eight-game winning streak, the Mets have their share of problems. First, David Wright went down with a hamstring injury. Then, during today's game, Travis d'Arnaud was hit by a pitch and broke his hand while Jerry Blevins was hit by a batted ball and fractured his throwing arm.
Replacements for the two newest members of New York's disabled list are on the way from Las Vegas. At catcher, it will be Kevin Plawecki and not spring training superstar Johnny Monell earning the promotion. The 24-year-old Boilermaker is batting 8-for-35 with two doubles and a triple at Triple-A so far.
This winter we ranked Plawecki as the fifth-best Mets prospect and also wondered if the team should trade him given the presence of d'Arnaud. For now, that question is moot, as Plawecki will take over as New York's starting catcher. He will presumably make his major league debut when the Mets face Atlanta on Tuesday.
The Mets already have two lefties besides Blevins in their bullpen, so calling up the best available arm makes sense. That man is apparently Hansel Robles, who has been a strikeout machine in the minors since he joined the team as an 18-year-old prospect. He just missed our Top 25 list of prospects this year, but Robles is off to a great start in Las Vegas with 10 strikeouts, one walk, and zero runs allowed in five appearances (seven-and-two-thirds innings).
Our own Jeff Paternostro wrote a scouting report on Robles last summer.
Injuries stink, especially when they could derail what has been a wonderful start to the season for the Mets. However, the reason the Mets built up and hung onto all that young talent over the years was for moments like this. Now we'll hopefully get to see the organization's depth pay dividends.