Mets GM Sandy Alderson Says Team Is Changing Way It Handles Injuries

New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson revealed on Friday that the team is going to change the way it handles injuries in the wake of the team sending a slew of players to the disabled list this season, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

Among the major changes will be Alderson meeting daily with his training staff "to provide context for the decisions that we have to make from day to day based on information that not only arises that day, but may have been sort of gestating over a period of days." 

The front office will also be communicating more frequently with its spring training complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

As for more substantial changes, Alderson said that "might require a little more in the way of investigation and research that sometimes requires a little time."

It isn't hard to see why the Mets might want to make some adjustments to how they handle injuries. The team's two biggest stars, Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes, are currently on the DL, along with Asdrubal Cabrera, Travis d'Arnaud, Steven Matz, Seth Lugo, David Wright and Jeurys Familia.

Syndergaard's injury in particular was controversial, as the AP outlined:

"Syndergaard partially tore the latissimus dorsi behind his right arm on April 30, a few days after refusing an MRI while dealing with biceps and shoulder discomfort. He'll be out until at least after the All-Star break.

"Alderson acknowledged at the time that skipping the MRI eliminated 'some information that probably would have been useful,' but also said the test may not have prevented a DL trip. That injury followed an offseason in which Syndergaard claimed to add 17 pounds of muscle, although Alderson said May 6 that Syndergaard only added three pounds of weight."

In turn, the Mets have started the season with a disappointing 17-23 record.

Given that the Mets have made the postseason the past two seasons and the World Series in 2015, anything less than October baseball would be a major disappointment for the club. If they can't get a handle on their rash of injuries, however, the 2017 season could be a bleak one.