The New York Mets will be without the services of prospect Travis d’Arnaud for up to eight weeks after the catcher took a foul ball off his foot. The impact resulted in a fractured bone in his left foot.
“He’s in a boot,” said manager Terry Collins. “They want him to do as little as possible for a while, let the mending start.”
d’Arnaud was catching for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate when the injury occurred. The club said the foul ball caused a non-displaced fracture of the first metatarsal in his left foot.
d’Arnaud was acquired in an offseason trade which sent 2012 N.L. Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey to Toronto. He is expected to be the catcher of the future for the Mets, but the team opted to have d’Arnaud start the season with the Las Vegas 51’s to get him some extra playing time. The Mets are in no hurry to rush d’Arnaud to the big leagues, especially since their current catcher, John Buck, leads the majors in RBI and is second in home runs.
Dr. Silverman comments
What happened to Travis d’Arnaud?
He was struck by a baseball on his first metatarsal. This concentrated force caused a direct injury (contusion) to the skin, soft tissues and bone of his foot. The first metatarsal bone fractured from this energy of injury.
How is this injury treated?
In order for this to be treated non-surgically, the following two conditions must be present; the injury must be closed, (i.e. the skin must not have an open sore) and the fracture must be nondisplaced. Non-surgical treatment includes protected weight-bearing either with crutches or with a removable walking boot. It is very rare for a patient to be placed into a cast.
When is this treated surgically?
It’s treated surgically when there is an open injury, (ie. the force is so great that the skin splits) or if the bone becomes displaced and will not appropriately support weight in that position.
What happens in typical surgery?
In surgery, doctors will insert a few screws in order to squeeze bones together. Plates, wires and absorbable pins may also be used. If the tissue injury is great, it’s not safe to put implants beneath the skin. Instead, external fixtures must be used.
How long does it take to heal?
It depends on the severity of injury and the handling of the rehab. If the injury is extremely damaging to the tissues by disrupting the blood supply to the bone, the fracture can take a very long time to heal. For this reason, fractures that occur from direct impact trauma and those that are the result of a crush injury take longer to heal.
How long will it take d’Arnaud to recover?
He should be healed by within 4-6 weeks. He’ll still want to ease his way back into the lineup when he feels strength returning to his foot. Catcher is the most physically demanding position in baseball, and his feet need to support him in his crouch and when he moves laterally to block balls in the dirt. If he were in the American League, he would benefit from the ability to ease back into the lineup as a designated hitter, but he doesn’t have that luxury in the National League. I would expect to see him gradually returning to his normal role in about 8-10 weeks.
Related source: Newsday
