DETROIT – Just when everything had begun clicking offensively for Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor, a left hamstring strain landed him on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Saturday.
Taylor had two doubles, four RBIs and two runs in Friday’s win over the Marlins, but he felt something wrong in his hamstring during that game. Manager Carlos Mendoza said he rested Taylor for the past three games in hopes he could return soon, but Taylor’s running drills on Monday determined that the IL was unavoidable.
“Yesterday, when he went out there and tried to run, obviously he was more like slowing down,” Mendoza said prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Tigers at Comerica Park. “Talking to the trainers, that gets tricky there. We didn’t want to push it, obviously, and put him at risk. We decided to go with what’s best, slow this thing down and put him on the IL.
“Hopefully, it’s not too long.”
Taylor could return as early as next week.
Taylor’s seven outfield assists are tops in the National League for center fielders, and he’s a high-quality defender who can play any outfield position. He’s also 11-for-13 on stolen base attempts.
Speed’s a big part of Taylor’s game, and he loses a good percentage of his top skills when playing at less than 100%.
Taylor, 31, was hitting .199 on Aug. 3. However, he has batted .423 (11-for-26) since then with seven RBIs, six runs and four doubles, raising his average to .218.
“He’s been playing well,” said Mendoza, “but even when he’s healthy, we want to continue to play the matchups with the guys who are best there.”
Cedric Mullins, obtained at the Trade Deadline from the Orioles, is a left-handed hitter who has started the past four games in center. He entered Tuesday batting .223 with 16 homers and 56 RBIs this season and .198 with one homer and seven RBIs in 25 games with the Mets.
Taylor also was a prime performer during last week’s three-game sweep of the Phillies. He was 3-for-4 with three runs, one double and one RBI on Aug. 25.
Taylor has two homers, 33 runs and 25 RBIs in 298 at-bats, but has been particularly good with runners in scoring position. He’s 20-for-64 (.313) with 22 RBIs in those situations. And most of the damage for the right-handed hitter actually comes against right-handed pitchers, with both homers and 21 RBIs coming against them.
Taylor, a second-round Draft pick by the Brewers in 2012 out of Torrance (Calif.) High, signed a one-year deal for $3.03 million with the Mets for 2025. He was traded by the Brewers to the Mets before the 2024 season, and he has four years of playoff experience.