The New York Mets announced shortstop Ruben Tejada suffered a fractured right fibula following a takeout slide from Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley in the seventh inning of Saturday night’s National League Division Series matchup.
Continue for updates.
Matt Reynolds Reportedly Replaces Tejada On Roster
Sunday, Oct. 11
Joe Trezza of MLB.com noted Reynolds would be the second player in the modern era to make his debut in the postseason.
The shortstop and second baseman hit .267 across stints with the GCL Mets and Triple-A Las Vegas this season.
Utley Apologizes, Had No Intent to Injure Tejada
Sunday, Oct. 11
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported, “Utley sent an apology to Tejada [Saturday] night through a player on the Mets that he knows well. Intent was not to injure.“
Utley later spoke to Rosenthal about the play, saying: “In no way shape or form was I trying to hurt Ruben. I slid in hard like I have for 12 years. I feel terrible about the outcome. I’ve reached out to Ruben via David Wright.”
“I had no intent to hurt him whatsoever, but I did have the intent to break up the double play,” Utley said after the game, per Mark Herrmann of Newsday. “Utley acknowledged that he had watched a replay. When he was asked if what he saw constituted a late slide, he said, ‘I thought the whole play happened fast,'” per Herrmann.
Collins Comments on Utley’s Style of Play
Sunday, Oct. 11
Mets manager Terry Collins stayed even-keeled when questioned about the slide, telling reporters that Utley, “Broke my shortstop’s leg. I’m not going to get into it (if slide was clean),” per the Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Shaikin.
Collins also told reporters Utley plays “with great passion and great aggression,” according to the Wall Street Journal‘s Jared Diamond.
Torre’s Immediate Thoughts on Utley’s Slide
Sunday, Oct. 11
“It certainly was late,” MLB official Joe Torre said, according to the Orange County Register‘s Pedro Moura. “That concerns me, the lateness of the slide. We’re still talking about it.”
Tejada Carted off Field
Saturday, Oct. 10
Tejada’s leg was immobilized and placed in an air cast after the shortstop laid on the field for several minutes.
The intentions behind Utley’s takeout slide are already being debated fiercely. Colorado Rockies and former Mets shortstop Jose Reyes didn’t hesitate to offer his opinion:
Tejada has primarily operated as a shortstop this season, logging 618 innings at the position during the regular season. However, New York could also count on him in a pinch to fill in at second or third base, where he played 98 and 156.1 innings, respectively, per Baseball-Reference.com.
Wilmer Flores now projects as the Mets’ full-time starting shortstop for the remainder of the postseason. While Flores isn’t the fielder Tejada is, he packs more power at the plate and can provide the Mets offense with an added dimension as they seek to take a 2-1 series lead when the scene shifts to Citi Field on Monday.
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