James McCann has a fracture of his left hamate bone

Prior to tonight’s series opener against the Mariners, the Mets announced that James McCann underwent an x-ray this morning that revealed a fracture of his left hamate bone. McCann had been out of the lineup for the past few days with “left wrist soreness” and initially expressed optimism that he could return as soon as today. However, today’s news revealed a far more serious injury, which will require surgery to repair. The approximate timeline for recovery from this surgery is six weeks, but hamate injuries often have lasting effects for hitters beyond the initial recovery time.

In 2022, McCann is batting .196/.266/.286 with a 68 wRC+ in 64 plate appearances. However, he does currently lead all catchers in Defensive Runs Saved this season. The primary catching duties will now fall on Tomás Nido, who is also a strong defender, but not producing much with the bat—a .204/.200/.245 slash line with a 30 wRC+ in 51 plate appearances this season. Walk-off folk hero Patrick Mazeika has been recalled from Triple-A to serve as the backup catcher and will wear uniform number 4. In 87 total big league appearances last season, Mazeika posted 46 wRC+ with one home run and six RBIs.

Although the Mets have not gotten much production offensively from the catching position this season, this news is still a huge blow to the team, as their catching situation is suddenly rather dire with McCann sidelined for a substantial period of time. While Mazeika provided some very fun heroics last season, he is not the receiver that McCann or Nido are and the Mets have very few other options. Hayden Senger—the Mets’ 11th best prospect per Amazin’ Avenue’s preseason rankings—is currently with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and is hitting .217 with a .674 OPS. Similarly, Mets top prospect Francisco Álvarez is hitting .213 at Double-A. Neither are likely a viable option for the big league club at the moment, meaning that the Mets may have to look to the waiver wire or seek an alternative in trade.