PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets might be on pace to set a Grapefruit League record for MRI exams.
Anthony Swarzak is the latest Mets player headed for such testing, after he left a game Tuesday against the Astros with a strained left calf. The righty reliever felt a “grab” in the muscle as he was breaking to cover first base on a grounder. He was immediately removed from the game.
Jacob deGrom, Dominic Smith and Juan Lagares have received MRI exams in recent days, and Yoenis Cespedes has been sidelined by soreness in his right shoulder that he says was caused from throwing hard for the first time after the offseason layoff.
DeGrom, who returned to the Mets on Saturday after a three-day paternity leave, has lower back stiffness and will continue a throwing progression, according to the team.
Cespedes, who homered in his second at-bat of the spring Sunday, has mild shoulder soreness and will be evaluated on a daily basis.
An MRI exam on Smith confirmed a right quadriceps strain, according to the Mets. The second-year first baseman, who is fighting for a roster spot, will have a “gradual” return to baseball activity.
Two others, Jay Bruce and Tim Tebow, have been cleared to play in the Grapefruit League.
Lagares (hamstring) is still listed as day-to-day, while Bruce was in the lineup Tuesday against the Astros as the DH after resting in recent days because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Tebow, who sprained an ankle last week when he tripped on a sprinkler head in the outfield, was listed as available off the bench for Tuesday.