Mets' Duda prevented from swinging a bat for a week
The New York Mets aren't planning to rush first baseman Lucas Duda through an injury with Opening Day more than six weeks away.
Duda has been dealing with a strained intercostal muscle for several weeks and the team has decided to shut him down from swinging a bat for a week.
"Nobody is more upset than he is," manager Terry Collins told Adam Rubin of ESPN. "He's a workaholic. He's bound and determined to be as good as he can be. He overdid it, and now he's got to back off. I said, 'Listen, we've got a long time to get you ready. We can certainly get that done. But you've got to be patient and get rid of this thing so it doesn't flare up again.'"
The 29-year-old appeared in a career-high 153 games last season, slashing .253/.349/.481 with 30 home runs and 92 RBIs.