Via Adam Rubin:
Brian Stokes became the first notable casualty of the spring, when the 29-year-old righthander injured his right hamstring, leaving him unable to work off a mound. "It didn't pop or anything," Stokes said, downplaying the severity.Stokes is pretty much penciled in to the bullpen for 2009, so hopefully this isn't anything severe.
I was looking forward to seeing Stokes pitch again, hopefully solidifying the sneaking suspicions I have that he's not all the Mets expect him to be. Sure, he was OK last year, but is he ready for a full load of work for an entire season?
I still maintain the notion that the bullpen middle relief has been overvalued by the Mets, and they're expecting some players to do more than they can. I realize they tied up the eight and ninth innings, hopefully leaving only one or two innings to six guys in middle relief.
Still, a lot of game could be lost by a weak bridge to J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez. And handing them a game where the Mets are down two runs doesn't really do much for the team.
Hopefully Stokes can bounce back quickly and get into the groove of things soon. Hamstring injuries are always frightening.