ST. LOUIS — J.D. Davis’ left hand has landed him on the injured list for the second time this season.
A day after he was unavailable to pinch hit or play the field, the Mets placed the third baseman on the 10-day DL, retroactive to Sunday, with what has been termed a left hand sprain. Davis said the injury occurred on a swing Saturday in Philadelphia. It was in Philadelphia during the Mets’ opening series of the season that Davis was drilled in the left hand by Chase Anderson and later placed on the IL. The Mets now lose their hottest hitter — Davis was slashing .390/.479/.610 with two homers and seven RBIs. Trevor Hildenberger was recalled from the alternate training site to replace Davis on the roster.
A day after trying to pitch through back tightness — and allowing three runs in the ninth inning against the Phillies — Edwin Diaz indicated he was feeling better. Diaz said he first experienced the tightness while warming up in the bullpen — Rojas didn’t become aware of it until during the ninth inning when pitching coach Jeremy Hefner visited the mound.
“I felt like I could throw, but eventually it was stopping me from pitching my pitches and it felt like I was pulling back,” Diaz said before the Mets’ 6-5 loss to the Cardinals. The right-hander said he expects to be available Tuesday or Wednesday to pitch if needed.
Brandon Nimmo was absent from the starting lineup for a second straight game with a left index finger contusion. Nimmo was a defensive substitution Sunday night but wasn’t comfortable enough swinging a bat to pinch hit. He was due to test the finger during pregame workouts Tuesday.
Kevin Pillar (2-for-4, HR, two RBIs) received a second straight start in center field.
Marcus Stroman tested his right hamstring during pregame fielding drills. The right-hander, who was removed early from his last start because of tightness in the hamstring, is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the Cardinals.
Jacob deGrom was named National League Pitcher of the Month for April after going 2-2 with a 0.51 ERA with 59 strikeouts and four walks over five starts. DeGrom’s strikeout total tied Nolan Ryan (1978) for the most by a pitcher over his first five starts to a season.
