New York Mets first baseman Lucas Duda is dealing with a back injury, and it is unclear when he will return.
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Duda Out vs. Brewers
Saturday, May 21
According to Greg Logan of Newsday, Duda will not play against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday after having an MRI on his back, and manager Terry Collins commented on the matter:
Per ESPN.com's Adam Rubin, Duda received an anti-inflammatory injection in his back Monday.
While Duda's inconsistency at the plate has long been an issue, his power is undeniable. So far in 2016, the 30-year-old slugger has put up a .231 batting average with seven home runs and 19 RBI.
He enjoyed a career year in 2014 with 30 homers and 92 RBI to go along with a .253 batting average, and he followed that up with a decent 2015 campaign to the tune of a .244 average, 27 bombs and 73 RBI.
Although the addition of outfielder Yoenis Cespedes added some much-needed pop to the lineup last season and into 2016, Duda's presence in the batting order is important.
The California native worked on becoming a more well-rounded hitter during spring training, and hitting coach Kevin Long praised how much work the former seventh-round pick put into honing his craft, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post:
[Duda] is really one of the hardest workers I've been around. Some of the challenge I have as a hitting coach is backing him off. We still have our days, some days I can't keep him away from the field or away from some of the drills, but for the most part I would say instead of going six out of seven days max-out crazy, he is probably at one or two days, which is quite a turnaround.
New York proved last season it can manufacture runs when it needs to, but the long ball was a huge part of its arsenal during its run to the World Series.
Duda missed some time last season with a back injury, which limited him to 135 games. He appeared in 153 contests the year before, though, which suggests he is more than capable of handling the grind of the MLB season.
If Duda misses some action, however, New York's corner infield depth will be tested. Eric Campbell figures to receive the bulk of the playing time since utility man Wilmer Flores is also on the shelf.
While Duda may be a flawed player, he adds a different dimension to the Mets lineup that will be difficult to make up for while he is on the shelf.
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