CHICAGO – Jorge Polanco’s ankle has been an issue for weeks, but ultimately another ailment removed him from the active roster Saturday.
The veteran slugger was diagnosed with a right wrist contusion and placed on the injured list before the Mets faced the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Polanco had missed the previous two games: one due to Achilles bursitis in his right ankle and the other with wrist discomfort.
Polanco felt the wrist discomfort after swinging against the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Tuesday, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.
“He’s just got to let it calm down a little bit and we’ll go from there,” said Mendoza, who declined to set a timetable for Polanco’s return.
Polanco will also have an opportunity to rest his ankle, which Mendoza said was improving.
“He was getting to a good place,” Mendoza said. “He had good days, bad days, but he was trending in the right direction. It’s obviously going to help now with him being down, but the biggest thing now is we have got to take care of that wrist.”
Limited mostly to DH because of the Achilles bursitis, Polanco has produced a .179/.246/.286 slash line with one homer and two RBIs.
Polanco joined Juan Soto (right calf strain) on the IL, leaving the Mets without two middle-of-the-order bats. The Mets are hopeful Soto will return to the lineup on the next homestand.
Hayden Senger was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to fill Polanco’s roster spot. The move gave the Mets a third catcher and will allow Mendoza the flexibility to use Luis Torrens as a pinch-hitter.
“We’re looking at the next couple of days here, how many lefties they have got in their bullpen,” Mendoza said, who added that Senga’s addition would also allow the possibility of Francisco Alvarez receiving DH duty.
