Colon leaves game with thumb injury after being hit by liner

New York Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon left Tuesday's game against the Kansas City Royals after being struck in the right hand by a Whit Merrifield comebacker.

The 43-year-old looked to be in quite a bit of pain as he shook his hand after being hit. He only managed to throw four pitches in the contest before exiting and being replaced by Hansel Robles.

X-rays on Colon came back negative and he was diagnosed with a right thumb bruise.

Colon's four-pitch effort was the shortest on record in franchise history, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, surpassing a five-pitch mark by John Maine in 2010.

After the Mets 2-1 victory over the Royals Tuesday, manager Terry Collins told ESPN's Adam Rubin that Colon's thumb swelled up quite badly and the pitcher will be re-evaluated Wednesday.

"I gripped a baseball a little bit ago and felt OK," Colon said after the game. "I'll see how the swelling is tomorrow."

The news comes just hours after Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler had a potential return date of just after the All-Star break pushed back following a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Colon, a durable veteran whose tossed over 190 innings each of the past three seasons, was 6-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 13 starts prior to Tuesday.