Cespedes exits with sore heel, not concerned

June 13th, 2017

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NEW YORK -- Mets outfielder left Monday's 6-1 win against the Cubs with a sore left heel after lining out to center to end the fifth inning.

The Mets announced Cespedes did not aggravate his quadriceps and hamstring injuries, which he had just returned from Saturday in Atlanta after an approximately six-week stint on the disabled list.

"This is not the first time this heel thing has flared up," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He's got a bad left heel that sometimes, for some reason, gets irritated. It's like a bad bone bruise or tendinitis in his heel."

In fact, this is an issue Cespedes has dealt with before he even defected from Cuba. He did not appear to be alarmed by the situation and said he felt like he could play Tuesday.

Cespedes added that he is used to the discomfort and that he could go as long as two weeks without feeling anything in the heel. On the other hand, it can hamper him for up to four days at a time, the 31-year-old said.

"When I woke up this morning, I could feel a little soreness, but this is just something that happens when I wake up in the morning," Cespedes said through an interpreter. "They always feel a little sore. Then, throughout the course of the day, it kind of goes away. But today, it just didn't go away, it actually got a little worse."

After Collins noticed Cespedes limping out to left field before the start of the fifth inning, he and trainer Ray Ramirez ran out to check on him. They allowed him to stay in the game after he persuaded them. After that half-inning, Cespedes reported to Collins it did not feel much better, and Collins was determined to yank him then. However, the outfielder convinced his manager to give him one more at-bat before getting the hook.

Before Monday's game, Collins had said the Mets were closely monitoring Cespedes.

"We've got a thing with [Cespedes] this week, where he'll look to play tonight and tomorrow, get a day, then play three in a row as we ease him back into this," Collins said. "We're very lucky to have options besides just three guys."

In his first at-bat Monday, Cespedes ripped a single up the middle before grounding into a double play and lining out in his final two at-bats. entered to play center field, and (80th overall pick, 2002 Draft, University of Illinois-Chicago) moved to left.

The whole ordeal left Collins frustrated with the fact there seems to be a constant stream of ailments that keeps his star player from staying on the field, despite his acknowledgment he knows Cespedes wants to be out there.

"It's always something else that's going to pop in and rear its head," Collins said. "I know he wants to play. I know he wants to stay in. He wasn't happy about coming out. But as I tried to explain, 'Look, we talked about this the other day; we got to keep you in as many games as we possibly can. So if we miss you for five innings tonight, we may miss you for nine innings in a day or so.' It's tough for him, because I know he wants to play."