Mets activate J.D. Davis from injured list

April 17th, 2021

All told, 10 days on the injured list only cost J.D. Davis six games.

“Right? All these rainouts?” Davis said, laughing. “It’s unbelievable.”

The Mets welcomed their starting third baseman back after that 10-day, six-game stint on Saturday, activating him from the IL and optioning shortstop José Peraza to their alternate training site. Davis had been inactive since taking a Chase Anderson fastball off his left wrist during the Mets’ second game of the season against the Phillies. Davis' hand wound up being bruised, not broken, but it still took about a week for all the pain and swelling to subside.

Since that time, weather issues have limited Davis mostly to indoor batting practice, prompting him to use high-velocity machines to simulate game action. Davis also stood in on teammates’ bullpen sessions and even used a virtual reality set in his hotel room to keep his timing sharp.

All the while, Davis acknowledged that there’s no substitute for seeing live pitching.

“It’s a great feeling to get back on that field,” Davis said.

Manager Luis Rojas immediately inserted Davis back into his starting lineup on Saturday, slotting him seventh in Game 1 of the Mets’ doubleheader against the Rockies at Coors Field. Although backups Luis Guillorme and Jonathan Villar both played well in Davis’ absence, Rojas reiterated that Davis -- who broke out with a .307/.369/.527 slash line in 2019, before regressing last season -- is the Mets’ starting third baseman.

“From the beginning, we established that he’s our primary third baseman,” Rojas said. “But we’ll see how things are doing. We want to keep guys that are swinging the bat like Guillorme is, like Villar is, active. We want to keep them in there for sure.”

Additional roster moves
The Mets also recalled left-hander Stephen Tarpley from their alternate site to serve as their 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader. It’s the second time Tarpley has served in that role this season.

Right-hander Franklyn Kilome, whom New York designated for assignment this week to clear 40-man roster space for Peraza, cleared waivers. The Mets outrighted him to their alternate site in Brooklyn.

The Mets’ taxi squad for their six-game road trip through Colorado and Chicago includes Peraza, Tarpley, Sean Reid-Foley, Thomas Szapucki and Patrick Mazeika.

Mets retain law firm
In response to a story in The Athletic detailing a “toxic culture” in the Mets’ front office, owner Steven Cohen said he has retained a law firm to investigate instances of wrongdoing. That investigation is ongoing.

“Several weeks ago, I retained WilmerHale to conduct a review of the organization’s culture,” Cohen wrote in a statement. “They will provide me with a report of what they find. I will listen carefully and then take any steps I believe are appropriate based on the findings.”

The Athletic’s report detailed allegations against several individuals in the Mets’ marketing, communications and human resources departments.

From the trainer’s room
Rather than bring rehabbing pitcher Carlos Carrasco to their alternate site as originally planned, the Mets have decided to let him complete the bulk of his work in Florida due to the superior facilities at the Mets’ Spring Training complex. Carrasco recently began fielding drills at the complex; his success in those will determine how quickly he can return from a torn right hamstring.

When Carrasco injured his leg in March, his original timeline called for a return at some point from late April to mid-May. If anything, Carrasco has worked himself onto the earlier side of that schedule. He has already stretched out to four innings in bullpen sessions and simulated games, with a five-inning outing set for next week.

“The timetable for [his return], we’re still uncertain,” Rojas said. “We’re just looking at his response after he throws and how he feels. But right now, everything’s going well.”