Jesse

Winker

With fellow designated hitter Starling Marte battling some knee soreness, Winker may come up quickly for the Mets to fill that spot. He has been on the IL since early May with the oblique strain and is hitting just .239/.321/.418 in 24 games for the Mets this season. He doesn’t need to be added in any fantasy leagues right now, even if he does get called up.

Winker will get in one final minor league rehab contest on Sunday before returning to New York for Tuesday’s game at Camden Yards. The 31-year-old veteran DH has been out since early May recovering from a right oblique strain.

Winker has been shelved since the beginning of May due to a right oblique strain. He’s eligible to return from the injured list on July 4 and there’s a chance that if everything goes according to plan he could be ready at that time. It’s unclear who he would displace on the Mets’ current roster, but having too many quality options seems like a good problem for them to sort out.

Winker’s return will create a roster crunch for the Mets, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll make it back for at least another couple weeks based on his current timeline. The 31-year-old on-base machine has been out since early May recovering from a Grade 2 oblique strain.

Winker will be eligible to return from his strained oblique on July 4, but expectations are that he’ll be out through the All-Star break and maybe beyond that.

When he landed on the injured list in early May, Winker was given an initial timeline of around 6-8 weeks with his right oblique strain. We’re almost at the six-week mark now, so he’s trending towards being just outside that initial estimation. Barring any setbacks, he should be able to rejoin the Mets before the All-Star break.

Winker was officially placed on the injured list ahead of Monday’s contest against the Diamondbacks and will likely be sidelined until mid-to-late June. The 31-year-old’s absence creates a void at DH against right-handed pitching. There’s an opportunity for youngsters Luisangel Acuña and Brett Baty to get increased opportunities in the coming weeks.

Winker’s absence frees up some additional at-bats at DH for the overabundance of talent on New York’s roster. The 31-year-old veteran suffered the oblique strain during Sunday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals and is facing a multi-week absence. No word yet on the severity of the strain, which will determine how much time he misses.

Winker suffered the injury to his side while making a throw to home plate in the fourth inning during the Mets’ first game against the Cardinals on Sunday. No word yet on the MRI results, but it sounds like the 31-year-old slugger is going to miss a couple of weeks at a minimum.

Winker played in left field for the first time on Sunday afternoon and wound up injuring his side while making a throw to the plate in the fourth inning. It sounds like he’ll miss the nightcap at a minimum and depending on what the imaging shows, a trip to the injured list could be in order as well. Stay tuned.