Injury bug keeps biting Mets as they lose Neil Walker for the season

The New York Mets can’t seem to repel the injury bug this season. On Wednesday, they got news that second baseman Neil Walker had a herniated disc in his back. It didn’t seem too bad at first, as Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo pointed out on his Twitter feed.

	Anthony DiComo @AnthonyDiComo
Sandy Alderson says the reports of Neil Walker's diagnosis being ultra serious are "overblown." Disc injury in his back. "He can play." 9:59 AM - 31 Aug 2016

But if you know the Mets, you knew that this downplaying of Walker’s injury wasn’t going to be the final word on the subject. And it wasn’t.

	Jared Diamond @jareddiamond
Neil Walker is expected to undergo season-ending surgery. 7:10 PM - 31 Aug 2016

 Walker’s injury could not come at a worse time for the Mets (or for Walker, who will be a free agent next season). They’re currently 1.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race, and they’re fighting off the Pittsburgh Pirates (2.5 games back) and the Miami Marlins (3.5 games back). They needed Neil Walker to help their struggling offense, which is currently 28th in batting average out of 30 teams. Walker is hitting .283/.347/.476 with 23 home runs in 2016, and the Mets are really going to miss his bat.

Walker’s surgery isn’t the only bad news they’ve gotten recently. Pitcher Steven Matz was supposed to start on Thursday, but was scratched on Tuesday due to shoulder issues. Matz told MLB.com that it’s an impingement in his shoulder that’s causing the problem. And it might not be a short-lived problem, either. 

	Anthony DiComo @AnthonyDiComo
Asked if he's worried about losing Steven Matz for the rest of the season, Terry Collins said: "Yes. I am." #Mets 1:11 PM - 30 Aug 2016

It’s been that kind of year for the Mets. Veteran third baseman David Wright had season-ending surgery in June to repair a herniated disc in his neck. They lost starting pitcher Matt Harvey in July when he needed to have surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, which had been affecting his shoulder. They’ve struggled through injuries to rotation headliner Noah Syndergaard and slugger Yoenis Cespedes. Pitcher Zack Wheeler, who is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, had to visit specialist Dr. James Andrews after experiencing lingering elbow soreness after his very first rehab start.

It’s not all bad, though. On Wednesday, the Mets got some good news about Wright. Just two months after his surgery he’s got 60 percent mobility in his neck, and expects to be at 95 percent mobility well before he’ll need to report to spring training.

If you’re looking for positive developments about current Mets players, Jeurys Familia has that covered. The Mets closer notched his MLB leading 44th save on Wednesday night, and has pitched his way into the Mets record books as their new single-season saves leader. That won’t make up for losing Neil Walker, but at least all the news from Mets HQ isn’t horribly depressing.