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Mets' Vargas returns to DL with calf strain; Blevins tabbed for spot start

Dustin Bradford / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The New York Mets have placed left-handed starter Jason Vargas on the 10-day disabled list with a right calf strain, the team told MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.

Vargas was scratched ahead of his scheduled start on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves after tweaking his calf during daily conditioning after his previous outing. He said he wasn't so much derailed on the mound, but the injury limited his ability to move and field.

"Throwing and doing everything you would need to do just to throw a pitch doesn't really affect my calf that much," Vargas said. "But when I would break to go and try to cover first base, it was definitely an issue yesterday when we tried to simulate what would happen in the game. It probably wasn't the best to take the risk."

Vargas, who signed a two-year, $16-million deal in the offseason, has had a disastrous beginning to his Mets tenure. He opened the season on the DL with a broken bone in his right hand, and has gone 2-6 with an 8.60 ERA over 37 2/3 innings.

Veteran reliever Jerry Blevins will make his first career start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers in what is expected to be a bullpen game for the Mets.

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