Mets send Noah Syndergaard to 10-Day IL

Fans held their breath as they watched Noah Syndergaard limp off of the field during the seventh inning of Saturday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. After throwing his 102^nd pitch of the night, Syndergaard grabbed the back his right thigh, called for the trainer and walked off the field with an 8-3 lead. The Mets would go on to get Syndergaard his fifth win of the season, but would soon learn that they would be losing him for the next 10 days.

Noah, like the rest of the pitchers in the starting rotation, has had a tough time finding his groove this season. After pitching 95.0 innings, he has put up a 4.55 ERA with 93 strikeouts and 24 walks, while giving up 91 hits. His most impressive start of the season was on May 2, after he threw a complete game and hit his second home run of the season; his efforts earned him NL Player of the Week. It looked like Syndergaard had found his stride after his start on June 9 against the Rockies, where he threw seven innings, only giving up one hit and striking out 7 batters. However, whatever Noah had in store for his comeback will have to wait until June 26.

Syndergaard was luckily the only one to land to the IL on Sunday. Jason Vargas, who has been performing well for the Mets as of late, left Sunday’s game with a left calf cramp during his at bat after only throwing four innings, but he is expected to make his start on Friday. Sunday also saw the return of Robinson Cano, after he was activated from the IL to fill Noah’s spot on the roster. The biggest challenge that the Mets face now is figuring out who will take the ball on Thursday to face off against Chicago Cubs. Both manager Mickey Callaway and Noah himself have stated that they are not too concerned about the injury, and that he should be in good shape when he is activated. Fans can only hope that in the meantime, the team will bounce back from their 34-38 record as they continue their series against the Braves, and prepare to face off against the Cubs and the Phillies.