WASHINGTON -- For a second consecutive game, the Mets saw one of their key cogs go down with injury.
A season that has been largely defined by pain took another rough turn in Friday night's 4-2 win over the Nationals at Nationals Park, as outfielder Yoenis Cespedes exited in the top of the first inning with a right hamstring strain. The setback marks Cespedes' second hamstring injury of the season, his first occurring on his left side in April that sidelined him for nearly six weeks.
"It's been very frustrating because I know how much work I've put into this offseason to come in ready this year," Cespedes said afterward. "This one in particular was so frustrating because I think right before this I had felt the best I had felt all season long."
General manager Sandy Alderson acknowledged that Cespedes' latest hamstring injury is much like his first, so he will head to the disabled list immediately and will be examined in New York on Monday.
"I'd say his season is in jeopardy," Alderson said. "I wouldn't necessarily expect it to be as long [as his previous DL stint], but we don't have that much time left in the season. Very disappointed, but that's what we have."
Cespedes came up lame attempting to score from second base on a Dominic Smith single to center field. The 31-year-old felt sharp pain as he rounded third base, and he limped home before being sent back to third after it was ruled that the ball hit the second-base umpire. He was then taken out of the game and replaced by Matt Reynolds.

The setback comes a day after All-Star Michael Conforto was diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder, depriving the club of another one of its top players.
"This is new for me, for anybody else that's probably ever managed to have these kind of things pop up," Mets manager Terry Collins said of his team's rough luck with injuries. "There's no way really to describe them except you gotta just figure out who's going to play tomorrow."
Added Jacob deGrom: "Here we go again. Is this really happening? I don't really know what to think. It's just like, 'Are you kidding me?'"
Cespedes, in his second full season in New York, is hitting .292 with 17 home runs and 42 RBIs in 81 games. But with less than six weeks left, there's a chance Friday night was the last the Mets will see of him in 2017.
"Of course I'm going to work hard to try to come back as soon as I can," Cespedes said. "But I'm not going to push myself to come back if I'm not 100 percent."
Fantasy spin | Fred Zinkie (@FredZinkieMLB)
While Cespedes will be a coveted early round fantasy pick next spring, he can be dropped right away in all redraft formats. Shallow-league Cespedes owners can check waivers for a replacement such as Keon Broxton, Kevin Kiermaier or Ian Happ, and those in deeper leagues could take a look at Manuel Margot, Max Kepler or Nick Williams. Finally, any owner looking to play the matchups down the stretch would be wise to consider starters opposing a Mets lineup that has lost Cespedes, Michael Conforto, Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker and Lucas Duda in recent weeks.