PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Will the winner of the first-base “competition” at Mets camp be the player not on the DL to open the year?
Neither Ike Davis (calves) nor Lucas Duda (hamstring) has played in a Grapefruit League game in a week.
Duda
Davis And in the case of Davis, whose right calf is more significantly injured than his left, Terry Collins implied that he will not be returning to Grapefruit League action anytime soon.
“Ike’s calf is pretty bruised from the strain,” Collins said Sunday afternoon.
Collins once had hoped to get Davis as many as 100 spring-training at-bats to try to prevent another slow start to the season.
“That was a pipe dream, wasn’t it?” Collins dryly said. “In order for that to happen, he’s going to have to really spend a lot of time in minor-league camp.
“What I’d like to do right now is just get Ike out there in the batter’s box. If he can’t play first, he can’t play first. I know he can play first base. I just need him to get some at-bats. So if it means going over there [to the minor-league camp] and standing and DHing and getting some ABs when they start their minor-league games next week, he’s got to do that.”
