Mike Piazza suffered a grade three groin tear when flopping out of the way of an inside pitch thrown by RHP Jason Schmidt in the Mets' May 16th game in San Francisco. The muscle of his groin has partially torn away from the bone, which means he will not return to New York in the near future. Six weeks is the optimistic estimate, I'd be surprised if he's back in less than eight weeks, and though I believe he'll be back for a portion of September, he might not return this season.

Even before this injury, talk of C-R Piazza moving to first base was escalating, because of 1B-L Mo Vaughn's problems and Piazza's increasing age and fragility. This groin tear shouldn't detract from his performance at the plate when he returns. His skills remain strong, and he should have several productive years remaining on his career. However, he may not be able to play behind the plate this season, and if that's the case, New York might want to make the move permanent.

We know his name and his quest, I'm not certain of his favorite color. The numerous bone spurs, 10-12 at last count, in Mo Vaughn's left knee are in part a side-effect of his osteoarthritis and likely to return if removed. Vaughn is now on a quest in search of information on treatments that might alleviate his pain, hopefully allowing him to play baseball again. He's specifically interested in an experimental procedure that would insert artificial cushioning to replace the nonexistent cartilage in his knee. His quest has led him across the country from New York to Georgia to Colorado and now to L.A. with stops in between. Anaheim team doctor, Dr. Lewis Yocum is expected to be the final physician with whom Vaughn consults before making a decision. He's reportedly consulted six doctors outside the Mets' medical staff.

Vaughn began this quest when the Mets placed him on the disabled list May 3rd, though he reportedly had an MRI performed independent of the team during Spring Training. He would like to rejoin the Mets this year, but until he's made a decision and followed through on treatment, we won't know if that's possible. He's also indicated that he'd rather retire than play part time or DH.

C-R Jason Phillips returned to the majors to fill the roster spots of both Vaughn and Piazza, as he was demoted between the two DLings when New York wanted to make room for a twelfth pitcher, RHP Pat Strange, before a long road trip with a stop in Colorado. Although he is the Mets' primary back-up catcher, New York has not hesitated to play Phillips at first base while C-R Vance Wilson plays behind the plate. IF-R Jay Bell, CI-S Tony Clark, and UT-R Joe McEwing have all spent time at the position, but unless Phillips goes cold or Wilson is day-to-day with an injury, Phillips likely will continue to be the primary starter at first.

The health problems of the rest of the team contributed to Phillips grabbing the first base job. While Clark's lack of production kept him on the bench, Bell has missed time with a groin injury. Even if Bell were healthy, he'd need to help McEwing cover shortstop, which the struggling SS-R Rey Sanchez abandoned for the disabled list May 14th. Conversely, OF-L Cliff Floyd's injury troubles could take some first base time away from Phillips, as the Mets are considering having Floyd spend some time at first, where his sore Achilles would get less of a work out.

Sanchez injured his left thumb sliding into third base in the ninth inning of the Mets' May 9th game against San Diego. He initially feared ligament damage, but recent examinations indicate no structural damage. Consequently, he's expected to rejoin the Mets when he's eligible to leave the disabled list on the 25th. Hopefully, this time off will have also allowed the tendinitis in his elbow to dissipate. Poor healthy this year has limited the 35-year-old's production and frustrated the Mets. However, New York apparently remains committed to giving prospect SS-S Jose Reyes a full year of AAA, and with Reyes suffering from some hamstring problems, he's even more unlikely to make an appearance in the majors before September.

To replace Sanchez on the roster, New York called up IF-R Marcos Scutaro from AAA, where he was displaying solid skills for the fourth consecutive season. At the time of his promotion, Scutaro was hitting .296 with a .388 OBP and .478 SLG on 34 H, 10 2B,1 3B, and 3 HR with a 16:13 BB:K and 4/5 SB% in 115 AB. He's not overly experienced at short, so he probably won't be used there frequently, but he can take over as the back-up second and third baseman and cover short when needed.

New York's pitching staff wasn't able to completely avoid their injury problems. RHP Scott Strickland hit the disabled list on May 11th with a groin strain. After struggling with the problem for three weeks, he decided he needed to let it fully heal when he found his arm was a little sore from compensating for his leg problem. While he may be able to rejoin the team next week when he's eligible to leave the disabled list, he'll probably need closer to a month to insure that he's fully recovered.

The Mets called up LHP Jaime Cerda to fill Strickland's roster spot. Cerda had previously been sent down at the end of April to make room for RHP Jason Middlebrook. As the third lefty in the Mets' pen, Cerda will bounce between AAA and the majors throughout 2003. Cerda's command problems this season will make the Mets even less hesitant to demote him.

Middlebrook is no longer on the roster, as New York demoted him to make room for OF-L Jeff Duncan. Until he pitches effectively in the majors, the Mets aren't going to be inclined to leave him up. Strange remains on the roster, but he's struggled with his control, so he'll likely be the next pitcher the Mets demote.

Duncan is in the majors because the Mets felt they no longer needed to carry 12 pitchers and with Timo Perez day-to-day with a sore calf, they wanted an extra outfielder. The Mets drafted him out of Arizona State University with their 7th round pick of the 2000 draft. After spending the remainder of the 2000 season at Pittsfield in the Short-Season New York-Pennsylvania League, Duncan advanced to A Capital City in the South Atlantic League for the 2001 season. Last year, he split the season between A+ St. Lucie in the Florida State League and A Capital City. Duncan was hitting .252 with a .350 OBP and .348 SLG on 34 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, and 2 HR with a 20:34 BB:K and 12/17 SB% in 135 AB at AA Binghamton in the Eastern League when the Mets' decided to give him his first major league cup-of-coffee. Triple-A outfielder Prentice Redman is also on the 40-man roster and might have been called up instead of Duncan, if Norfolk wasn't short on outfielders.

The 24-year-old Duncan made his major league debut as a pinch-hitter for Roberto Alomar in the eighth inning of New York's May 20th game against the Phillies, grounding into a fielder's choice. Duncan almost certainly will return to the minors when New York activates Jeromy Burnitz from the disabled list, which could happen as soon as this weekend.