Injured Mets Catcher Will Be Out For A While

The New York Mets will be without the services of their starting catcher for a significant amount of time.

James McCann, a one-time All Star and a veteran catcher who's in his ninth season, will be out for around six weeks due to a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist, as announced by the Mets organization via social media earlier today. McCann will require surgery for the injury.

James McCann underwent an x-ray this morning that revealed a fracture of his left hamate. He will undergo surgery, and the typical timeline for recovery from this injury is approximately six weeks. He has been placed on the 10-Day IL. Patrick Mazeika has been recalled.
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 13, 2022

There are no concrete details as to how McCann sustained the injury, but it is obviously a pretty big blow for a New York Mets team that is currently in first place in the NL East early on into the season.

While McCann has been disappointing on offense this season, with a noticeably low .196/.266/.286 slash line, the Mets will definitely miss the rock-solid defense that McCann provides behind the plate, which is a major strength of McCann's game.

With McCann sidelined, backup catcher Tomás Nido is expected to be bumped up into the everyday role for the Mets. The team has also recalled third-stringer Patrick Mazeika from Triple-A to backup Nido.

Nido, who has been the Mets' backup catcher for six seasons now, will get his opportunities to show what he can do in a more expanded role, until McCann is able to return.

If both Nido and Mazeika find themselves struggling in their upgraded positions on the depth chart though, and if it negatively impacts the Mets record as a result, it would not be surprising to see the Mets consider a move for a more proven catcher.