Cespedes blames May setback on massage

The New York Mets' injury-riddled 2017 campaign entered another dismal chapter Friday with star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes' season in jeopardy thanks to continued hamstring issues. Afterward, he pointed to an unexpected culprit for one of his earlier health issues.

Though the Mets said he experienced a setback in his May rehab assignment due to quad soreness, Cespedes believes a massage injured a different part of his lower body while he was with High-A St. Lucie.

"When I was getting a massage, there was a nerve right below my glutes that was just maybe rubbed the wrong way," Cespedes said, according to Abbey Mastracco of NJ.com. "That's what extended me for a few days."

He was shut down for more than a week before his rehab assignment resumed, pushing his return to the Mets into June.

Cespedes was removed from Friday night's contest against the Washington Nationals in the first inning after drawing a walk. Two batters later, Cespedes started noticeably limping while rounding third on a single.

Matt Reynolds came in as a pinch runner for Cespedes, who was forced to stay on third base because the ball hit the umpire.

While Cespedes could still return in 2017, hamstring issues have plagued the 31-year-old all season, and he missed all of May with the injury.

In 81 games since signing his four-year, $110-million deal with the Mets this past offseason, he's slashed an impressive .292/.352/.540 with 17 home runs.

Cespedes will join a deep disabled list that already includes Michael Conforto, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Zack Wheeler, and Seth Lugo.