Travis d'Arnaud of the New York Mets chases down a foul ball. (Photo : Getty Images/Ed Zurga)
New York Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud is going to the disabled list once again after suffering a shoulder strain on April 25, Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. The latest rumors suggest that the Mets should consider switching d'Arnaud to a different position to preserve his health and make use of his effective bat.
The 27-year-old catcher was one of the prospects along with pitcher Noah Syndergaard who the Mets received from the Toronto Blue Jays in the R.A. Dickey trade in December 2012. He has only played about three seasons in the majors because of many injuries throughout his young career.
According to NJ.com, d'Arnaud's first injury was to his back that required season-ending surgery in 2010 while playing in Single-A. He tore his left PCL in July 2012 before suffering a fractured left foot the next year.
In his first season with the Mets in 2014, he got hit in the head by a backswing causing him to miss seven games due to a concussion. Later in that season, the California-native underwent surgery to remove bone chips in his throwing elbow.
D'Arnaud then missed 46 games last season when a pitch broke his right hand. Two weeks after returning from his hand injury, he hyperextended his elbow causing him to miss an additional 32 games.
The right-handed slugger's recent shoulder injury came after an attempted throw to get a base stealer out. He will be on the 15-day DL due to a rotator cuff strain but the timetable for his return is still unclear.
"It's part of the game," d'Arnaud told the New York Post. "It is what it is. I've got to take it day by day."
The Mets may consider a position change for their catcher to preserve d'Arnauld's health and keep his bat in the lineup. In four seasons with the Mets, he has a career batting average of .242 with 26 home runs and 88 RBIs.
New York manager Terry Collins can explore playing him at first base or third base in the future. He can still play catcher on occasion as first base is occupied by Lucas Duda and David Wright is on third base.
Duda has two more years on his contract and Wright has been battling spinal stenosis for the past couple of seasons. Check out the video below for some of d'Arnaud's highlights from the 2015 MLB season.
