Mets GM: Cespedes playing golf injured was 'bad optics'

After allowing Yoenis Cespedes the chance to try and battle through the pain of a right quadriceps strain, the New York Mets placed their prized slugger on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, and it wasn't because of a golf injury.

The 30-year-old Cespedes came under some scrutiny for playing golf with former big leaguer Kevin Millar while dealing with the injury, which manager Terry Collins was apparently fine with and insisted wasn't the reason behind the slugger's injury.

''Golfing had nothing to do with his leg,'' Collins said Thursday, according to The Associated Press.

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson also touched on the subject Wednesday, telling reporters it was "bad optics," and said Cespedes would not be playing golf while on the DL.

"I've had conversations with his people, but not directly with Yoenis," Alderson said. "But that message will get to him, at least circuitously, and probably directly.

"... I think everybody is taking it seriously. I think Yoenis takes it seriously. But Yoenis has his own personal life that sometimes is larger than life. We've seen that from the beginning of spring training."

Alderson also admitted the club should have put the prized slugger on the DL sooner than they actually did.

"It's been a trying month or so with Yoenis and the injury and in retrospect it's probable that we should have just put him on the DL at the beginning of this episode," Alderson explained. "He wanted to try and play through it and we certainly had every interest in seeing him do that."

Cespedes, who started at designated hitter against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, said he aggravated his quad while swinging during his last at-bat of the game, which prompted the Mets to put him on the DL.

"After the game last night and that last at-bat he just said to me he couldn't continue to play this way," Alderson added. "I think that's a reflection of his injury and also the fact that he wasn't getting the results he probably wanted.

"Hopefully at the end of two weeks he'll be back ... at 100 per cent or close to it."

Prior to his injury Cespedes was hitting .292/.364/.551 with 22 home runs and 59 RBIs.