The Mets placed both Jeromy Burnitz and David Cone on the disabled list yesterday. Billy Wagner hit Burnitz in the left hand with a pitch, breaking the bone below his pinky finger in the ninth inning of New York's Tuesday game against Houston. Burnitz might want to consider standing back in the box against lefties, as he's now suffered basically the same injury twice.

In 1999, Jose Rosado hit Burnitz's right hand with a pitch, breaking the bone below his pinky finger. Burnitz missed five weeks with that injury and initial estimates project a four to six week recovery window for this break. Prior to this accident, Burnitz was beginning to show signs of a rebound from 2002's miserable slump. Hopefully, that progress won't be derailed by this time off.

Cone left his last start after only two innings due to a sore hip. Reportedly, the joint has caused him problems for years. In the past, he's been able to work through the problem, but as this age, it will probably be harder for the 40-year-old to recuperate. Cone feared the consequences of attempting to pitch through the pain and potentially altering his motion, putting stress on other fragile body parts. After a rest of 7-10 days, he is committed to rehabbing the injury and has no plans to consider returning to retirement at this time.

New York recalled Joe McEwing from AAA to replace Burnitz on the roster. The team had optioned McEwing to AAA Norfolk less than a week earlier in order to clear room on the roster for Jason Middlebrook, as they desired a fresh arm in the bullpen. Middlebrook remained in the majors for only one day before the Mets sent him down to make room for Jason Phillips on the roster. Manager Art Howe felt Middlebrook had accomplished his mission of giving the regular members of the pen a rest, and he wanted another player available off the bench. Apparently, the Mets do not intend to hand Middlebrook an opportunity to prove himself in the majors anytime soon.

In conjunction with the DL moves and McEwing's return, New York sent Phillips back to AAA and called up Raul Gonzalez. Prior to Burnitz's injury, the Mets had officially demoted Roger Cedeno from starter to bench player. Most of the Mets have started slow. Regrettably, Burnitz held the highest OPS of any of the regulars. However, Cedeno's poor start was only eclipsed by the Rey Sanchez's lack of production, and Sanchez's job is safe until New York feels Jose Reyes has nothing left to prove at AAA, which shouldn't happen before the All-Star break at the earliest.

Cedeno will now have an opportunity to hold onto a little more of his playing time, though I see nothing in his skills that would indicate a rebound is imminent. Unfortunately, Cliff Floyd injured his right Achilles' tendon almost two weeks ago and continues to have problems with it. The area has caused him trouble in the past, and while he's dismayed at the idea of a trip to the disabled list, the alternative may be a season of pain. Luckily, the Mets don't play on turf again until May 27th, so with a few extra rest days, he might be able to recover.

Floyd should start most days in left field while Cedeno, Gonzalez, Timo Perez and Tsuyoshi Shinjo split time in center and right. Gonzalez possesses considerable offensive potential and could grab a starting job with adequate defense and strong offense. McEwing will continue to serve as a utility player, receiving at-bats in both the infield and outfield.

Mike Piazza missed a day due to a minor groin injury, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious. If Piazza goes down for any length of time, Phillips will return to the majors. Phillips may also receive another call as an extra bench player during the season.

Pat Strange replaced David Cone on the roster, and unlike Middlebrook, he didn't even appear in a game during his one night in the majors. Pedro Astacio returned from the disabled list yesterday, taking Strange's roster spot. New York drafted Strange out of high school with their second round pick of the 1998 draft. Following the draft, he reported to their Rookie-level Gulf Coast affiliate. Strange spent all of 1999 at A Capital City in the South Atlantic League and then split 2000 between A+ St. Lucie in the Florida State League and AA Binghamton in the Eastern League. He returned to AA Binghamton for the majority of the 2001 season with only a brief appearance at AAA Norfolk of the International League.

Last season, Strange pitched for Norfolk for most of the year, making his major league debut in relief of Grant Roberts in the 8th inning of the Mets' September 13th game in Montreal. The 22-year-old possesses neither exceptional dominance nor control, but he appears capable of serving as either a decent spot starter or solid middle reliever.

Astacio began the season on the DL with biceps tendinitis. New York allowed him to build up his arm strength on a rehab assignment, so he should be ready to jump right into the rotation. Cone's trip to the disabled list means Jae Seo can remain in the rotation. While Seo's allowed 32 H and 2 HR in 22.1 IP for a 4.03 ERA, he's also compiled a 10:0 K:BB. New York believes in Cone's upside, but unless he proves he's healthy or Seo begins to obviously struggle, Cone may have difficulty pushing back into the rotation.