New York Mets utility infielder Luis Guillorme is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a left groin strain, the team announced prior to its four-game series opener against the Atlanta Braves.
He is expected to miss three-to-four weeks because of it.
Guillorme suffered the injury during Sunday’s 6-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies while scoring on James McCann’s two-RBI fourth-inning single.
“We’ll see how it goes tomorrow,” Guillorme said after the game. “It is tight, it hurts a little bit, but we want to get it looked at.”
He underwent an MRI earlier on Monday to finalize the results.
The 27-year-old has provided invaluable depth for a Mets team reliant on just that. Not only does he provide superb defense at second and third base, but he’s also batting .283 with a .712 OPS in a career-high 89 games and 258 at-bats.
The Mets have yet to announce a corresponding move about who could take Guillorme’s spot on the roster. However, the Mets are dangerously thin when it comes to third-base options considering veteran Eduardo Escobar is dealing with a lingering side injury. On Wednesday, the switch-hitter said that he can only hit left-handed for the time being.
In a particularly tight crunch on Friday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, outfielder Mark Canha was asked to step in and play third base after Escobar and Jeff McNeil left with injuries, prompting Guillorme to move to second. He had just 15 games worth of MLB experience at the hot corner prior to that appearance.
A name that came about as a possible option is the Mets’ No. 2 prospect and the No. 18 overall ranked youngster in MLB’s pipeline, Brett Baty. However, manager Buck Showalter reiterated on Wednesday that he is not an option to receive a promotion to the majors. Neither is the team’s No. 5 prospect, Mark Vientos.
Speculation began to mount regarding Baty’s possible call-up earlier on Monday when Mike Puma of the New York Post reported that such a move wasn’t out of the question.
In 89 games with the Mets’ Double-A affiliate in Binghamton, the 22-year-old batted.312 with a .950 OPS along with 19 home runs and 59 RBI before earning a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse earlier this month.
He’s 8-for-26 (.364) with an RBI and three walks in six games with Syracuse.
