NEW YORK -- When Wilmer Flores first collided with Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski at home plate on Sept. 10, the Mets called his injury a neck contusion that should dissipate within days.
Reality has been more difficult for Flores, who remains sidelined with a bone bruise in his right wrist. Due to lingering discomfort in the area, Flores returned to Manhattan's Hospital for Special Surgery on Monday, receiving his second cortisone injection in four days. The Mets continue to call Flores day to day with an injury that has now consumed a significant chunk of his season.
"We're hoping that tomorrow he can start swinging the bat," manager Terry Collins said Tuesday. "We've got a left-handed pitcher coming up. With his numbers against lefties, we've got to get him in the lineup."
That left-hander is Philadelphia's Adam Morgan, who is scheduled to start Thursday against the Mets. Flores is not only 2-for-5 with two home runs lifetime off Morgan, but also 34-for-100 (.340) with 11 homers versus lefties this season. Among big leaguers with at least 100 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, Flores' 1.093 OPS ranks third behind Boston's Hanley Ramirez and Arizona's Yasmany Tomás.
In Flores' absence, the Mets have primarily taken solace in the performance of rookie T.J. Rivera, who started his seventh consecutive game Tuesday at second base. An undrafted free agent who was a September callup for the Mets, Rivera entered the night batting .417/.423/.833 since becoming a starter.