Mets Star Breaks Silence After Injury on Monday
New York Mets outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker is going into his ninth MLB season, but he’s only played 100-plus games in four of them. The 31-year-old made 54 out of 60 appearances in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. Winker has suffered from several injuries throughout his career and had knee and neck surgeries after the 2022 season. However, the 2021 All-Star has persevered, slashing .262/.367/.437 with 95 homers and 324 RBI in 755 career contests.
Winker was a postseason hero for the Mets in 2024, slashing .318/.531/.636 with one homer and four RBI in 22 at-bats. The 6-foot-2-inch, 206-pounder was traded to New York by the Washington Nationals on July 28 and re-signed on a one-year, $8 million deal in January.
Winker had another injury scare recently, as he left Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning with a cramp. However, the former Cincinnati Red is fine, via SNY.
Winker is hitting .296 with two RBI and an .832 OPS this spring. The Mets’ outfield is hot offensively, as right fielder Juan Soto leads the team with four homers and is slashing .385/.448/.923. Meanwhile, center fielder Jose Siri leads with eight RBI, although he’s hitting just .148. Finally, left fielder Jose Azocar is slashing .355/.394/.452 with one homer and six RBI.
New York has six games in six days starting on Wednesday to end spring training. After that, it starts a road series with the Houston Astros on 3/27 to begin the regular season.
$40.6 million NY Mets free agent bust signs a new deal with NL East rival
Even if the first MLB games of the season begin tomorrow between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, free agency isn’t nearly over with. Several notable players have yet to sign contracts, including last year’s primary New York Mets DH, J.D. Martinez.
Late spring signings have become more common in recent years. It’s especially true with veterans past their prime settling on minor league deals. That’s the category James McCann fits into. A bust in New York to the point where the team had to dump him to the Baltimore Orioles only to replace him with an even worse player albeit less expensive one in Omar Narvaez, McCann just had to end up with the Atlanta Braves, didn’
Even if the first MLB games of the season begin tomorrow between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, free agency isn’t nearly over with. Several notable players have yet to sign contracts, including last year’s primary New York Mets DH, J.D. Martinez.
Late spring signings have become more common in recent years. It’s especially true with veterans past their prime settling on minor league deals. That’s the category James McCann fits into. A bust in New York to the point where the team had to dump him to the Baltimore Orioles only to replace him with an even worse player albeit less expensive one in Omar Narvaez, McCann just had to end up with the Atlanta Braves, didn’t he?
Former Mets catcher James McCann will have an opportunity to help the Braves catcher situation
Like the Mets, the Braves are dealing with an injury to their catcher. Sean Murphy will miss time with a cracked rib. They no longer had Travis d’Arnaud to easily turn to. Their depth chart has Drake Baldwin and longtime third-stinger Chadwick Tromp as the projected candidates to handle the duties behind the plate until Murphy’s return.
