Kuzul

On Thursday morning, it was announced that Tim Tebow, the polarizing quarterback who hasn’t touched a football in any way that matters since 2012, signed with the New York Mets to play minor league baseball. Based on the early reviews of the move, it appears Tebow is no less polarizing as a baseball player.

In an unusual parallel, across the sporting landscape in a dark corner where fringe meets niche, a similar story unfolds on Saturday night: Pro wrestler CM Punk will make his professional MMA debut when he fights Mickey Gall at UFC 203, with no meaningful qualifications beyond fame and fandom of the sport.

The case of Tebow is one of a freak athlete and genuine cultural phenomenon looking to find a place deep in the minor leagues and work his way up. The online hate and hot takes he generates are much more about him as a guy—the bible thumping, the swagger, the passion of those who love him—than the athlete.

Physically speaking, he’s undeniable. A bear of a man with fast-twitch fibers to burn, toughness and leadership qualities, no one would ever suggest he’s not an athlete. They may not be sure he’s a baseball player, but he’s raw and toolsy, and if he was 10 years younger, he’d probably be taken in the earlier rounds of the MLB draft. He’s everything a scout looks at and salivates over.

The case of Punk, real name Phil Brooks, is grossly different.

Punk is 38 years old, battered and broken from years as a professional wrestler, and he’s not fooling anyone about being past his athletic prime. He’s almost entirely guts at this point, willing himself through two years of preparation just to see if he can win a fistfight at the highest level. Some people love him and others hate him, but it’s hard not to respect him.

But with all of that considered, people generally seem more open to Tebow as a baseball player than to Punk as a mixed martial artist. One can’t help but wonder why that’s the case.

If it’s not the athletic merits of the two, perhaps it’s the road each is travelling in their respective new careers.

Tebow, if he’s ever going to make it to The Show, will do so by proving he can hit at the minor league level and also adopting a position and fielding it adequately. Punk is already at the top of the game, essentially walking out of some hard training sessions in a Milwaukee gym and into the shark tank of the toughest division in the toughest sport in the world.

It’s not hard to see how some might ruffle at that.

If not the roads travelled, maybe it’s the level of respect each would have gotten in their prior athletic pursuits.

Tebow made his bones in America’s game, continually winning The Big Game at every level he played, often in the face of long odds and numerous doubters. Again, not everyone loves him, but no one would ever deny his athletic prowess and the legitimate decoration it’s garnered him.

Punk was, comparatively, a phony in the eyes of many. A fake. People see pro wrestlers and believe that a predetermined outcome cheapens the athletic feats of those performing. They ignore the nightly physical toll of the game, to say nothing of the baseline strength and agility it takes to perform at the highest levels.

Still, if one were committed to that comparison, you could see how they might make the argument.

And if it’s neither of those things? Well maybe it’s just the fans themselves.

Baseball is a game that’s so deep and so challenging that a team giving up a minor league roster spot to try out a celebrity vanity project is almost irrelevant—especially in September, especially for a team in the hunt for a Wild Card spot like the Mets are. Fans just can’t commit the energy to caring about who’s reporting to the Arizona Fall League, and outside of a guy who might be losing a roster spot to Tebow, the limited grumbling about the signing reflects as much.

MMA is newer; it’s more aggressively defended by those who love it. Most who do are still raw from notable public figures denying its merits, politicians muddying the waters of its legitimacy and mainstream media treating it as a sideshow. It was relegated to internet chat rooms long before it was a billion-dollar industry, and fans often still treat it as such. That an outsider like Punk could walk into the top promotion and call his shots is almost personally offensive to some of those fans who’ve been around since the dark ages.

Regardless of the stance a person is taking, though, in the face of all of this, the stories themselves are not grossly different from one another: A guy with a degree of athletic fame in another walk of life is looking for a fresh start in a new endeavor.

The rest of it, including how people react and why, isn’t that important. If the athletes themselves are happy and someone is willing to pay them for it, the differences in cultures surrounding the two sports and the backlash generated within those cultures should be the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

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In a vacuum, news that Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg has strained the flexor mass in his right elbow might seem like a gut punch to the team’s hopes of winning the World Series.

Strasburg is, after all, a former No. 1 overall pick who has looked every bit an ace through much of the 2016 season.

Though Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports that Washington’s righty may not be done for the year, it’s only reasonable to look at the worst-case scenario, one in which Strasburg is unable to pitch again in 2016.

And you know something? It doesn’t look all that bad.

Throughout the season, the Nationals have boasted one of MLB‘s best starting staffs. Washington’s starters have an ERA of 3.57, third in the majors.

Sure, Strasburg has been part of that. But it’s more a credit to the depth of a staff that includes players such as Max Scherzer (2.88 ERA), Tanner Roark (2.89 ERA) and the currently injured Joe Ross (3.49 ERA).

The Nationals hold an eight-game lead in the NL East, so there’s little concern about whether this team will get to the playoffs. The worry is whether Strasburg’s absence will be felt in October.

But what the players on this staff have proved—particularly Scherzer and Roark—is that they’re capable of filling the void in the rotation. Scherzer leads baseball with a 0.92 WHIP and was considered Washington’s ace even before the Strasburg injury. Roark’s 1.18 WHIP is only marginally worse than Strasburg’s 1.10.

While Strasburg’s record of 15 wins ranks second on the team, that’s partially because he’s getting an NL-best 6.50 runs of support per start. Several players, including Nationals back-end starters Gio Gonzalez (4.40 ERA) and A.J. Cole (4.56 ERA), are capable of holding a team under six runs.

Most starters’ seasons would look good with that kind of run support.

The Nationals have scored the fourth-most runs in the NL, so it’s reasonable to assume whichever starter is on the mound will get support from the team’s offense.

But a team only needs two dominant starters to win a playoff series. They have that in Scherzer and Roark.

In the five-game division series, a team’s top two starters are always scheduled to pitch three of those games. That’s all you need to win. So if Scherzer and Roark both pitch well, Washington shouldn’t have any concerns about winning the NLDS.

In a seven-game championship series, a similar scenario would play out. Scherzer and Roark would be scheduled to pitch at least four games in a seven-game set—the exact number a team needs to advance.

Baseball has seen such a scenario play out. The pitching duo of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson combined to start five games in the 2001 World Series, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks in a seven-game win over the New York Yankees.

They are Hall of Fame-caliber pitchers. But Schilling had a 2.98 ERA that season, worse than either Scherzer or Roark’s total.

It puts more pressure on the Washington duo, for sure. But they’re capable. And even if they falter, Nationals manager Dusty Baker holds an ace in his pocket: the team’s bullpen.

Washington’s relievers have been just as good as their starting counterparts. The unit’s 3.28 ERA ranks second in MLB among bullpens.

The Nationals have three relievers—Matt Belisle (1.88), Sammy Solis (2.35) and Blake Treinen (2.44)—who have made at least 30 appearances for the club and have ERAs under 3.00.

The group is an insurance policy that can easily be cashed in to pitch the last five innings of an important playoff game. Baseball saw the Kansas City Royals win the World Series last year with the game’s best bullpen.

Any time a pitcher like Strasburg gets injured, it makes the team worse. But assessing the damage of his loss isn’t found in comparing the Nats to where they were when he was playing at his peak.

Come October, the Nationals won’t be looking in the mirror. They’ll be staring down other NL teams.

The doomsday scenario can be answered by asking this simple question: Do the Nationals still have the pieces to win?

Before Strasburg was hurt, it seemed Washington had more than enough to win a World Series. Without Strasburg, the team might have just enough.

But it’s all the same if the season ends with a trophy.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @SethGruen.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. — Bryan Harper had entered a tie game to start the ninth inning for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, and he was now in a bind—bases loaded, two outs. 

The next Portland Sea Dogs batter slammed a hard grounder up the middle for a short-to-second, inning-ending force out. A walk in the bottom half plated the run that made Harper a 2–1 winner.

“I just let the defense work. That was a good way to get out of it: Pound the zone,” Harper said of his final offering that May 25 night.

Making quality pitches in tight situations could earn Harper, who’s now with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, a call-up to the Washington Nationals. His standing 6’5″ and throwing left-handed would be key factors, too.

One thing is for sure: Harper, 26, will have reached the majors on his own merit. Being the older brother of the Nationals’ star outfielder is proving quite irrelevant.

According to Nationals vice president and senior advisor to the general manager Bob Boone, “He was signed with [the perception of] ‘This is Bryce’s brother, coming in on his coattails.’ He’s getting on the radar right now. I’m excited for him.

“He’s pushing his way through the door. All of a sudden, people are taking notice.” 

Boone, a longtime catcher in the bigs, would know something about brothers striving for the majors. His sons Aaron and Bret enjoyed fine MLB careers and Bob’s own brother Rod reached Triple-A. His father Ray was also major league infielder.

So far in 2016, Bryan has pitched to a 2.18 ERA, saved six games (all with Harrisburg), held opponents to a .174 batting average and struck out nearly a batter an inning.

Bryce, of course, has a bit more to show for himself, as the No. 1 overall draft selection in 2010, a four-time All-Star and the reigning National League MVP and Silver Slugger Award winner.

Since beginning his professional career in 2011, Bryan has pitched for six different clubs within the Nationals system—all in relief.

Throughout, Bryce has been his biggest supporter.

“[He made] sure I kept my nose to the grindstone,” Bryan said.

“He doesn’t need to tell me that. He says, ‘Keep working. You know you’ll make it.’ It’s a motivational thing for the both of us. I tell him the same thing.”

Should the Harpers share the Nationals locker room, it’d be their fourth experience as teammates since high school back in Nevada. The most recent time occurred with Harrisburg in 2014, when Bryce rehabbed for three games and played center field for two-thirds of an inning that Bryan pitched.

“It’s always been a dream of both of ours, once we got into pro ball, where we wanted to play with each other,” Bryan, a polite sort, said in the Harrisburg dugout hours before that ninth-inning victory. “Being able to play professionally, at the pinnacle of our sport, would probably be the coolest thing, by far, not just for me and him but for the whole family—being able to have the family there and watch me do my thing on the mound and Bryce doing what he does on a regular basis.

“He’s just always told me to keep grinding. He knows that I always have been a grinder. I’m always working hard to make my own name for myself and, hopefully, one day, be able to play with each other.”

The grinder has toiled at his craft. His 2016 pitching coaches, Harrisburg’s Chris Michalak and Syracuse’s Bob Milacki, said in separate interviews that they detected improvements early in spring training that indicated he had done some serious offseason work. They noticed that entering last season, too. And in 2014.

For Michalak this year, that meant Harper’s more consistent delivery, an improved curveball and increased confidence. Milacki cited the same, along with greater life to his fastball. Harper’s height, paired with the tweaks, have made him “able to create good angles” and significantly improve his breaking pitches, Milacki explained.

“With Bryan, from last year to spring training to now, he’s such a different pitcher,” said Milacki, who also had him for a short stint at Syracuse in 2015.

The best indicator of Harper’s makeup, Milacki said, occurred in Rochester this June 30.

Extra innings, tie score, first game of a doubleheader, bases loaded. Pressure, anyone? Adam Walker shot the pitch to deep center. It barely carried over the wall. Game over.

The next afternoon, Milacki took a pregame stroll to the outfield to take Harper’s emotional temperature. Harper calmly explained that he’d left a fastball over the plate. Perfectly sensible, and no use making an excuse.

“The good thing is, he’s accountable,” Milacki said he came away thinking.

Those who know the brothers well say that along with pride and a strong work ethic, Bryan has his head screwed on straight—with the extended Harper family having much to do with that.

Bryan’s best friend for more than a decade, Colin Shumate, recalled a decision the two made in high school to refrain from the drinking and partying scenes of their Las Vegas friends. Besides, they preferred Nintendo and Wii and Sunday family nights at the Harper’s house, where mom Sheri prepared burritos and enchiladas, sister Brittany baked dessert, and the males—Shumate included—handled the cleanup.

Other times, they all, Shumate included, hung out at the pool of Sheri’s parents, the Brookses, down the street.

The simple gestures of Sheri and her husband Ron are what impressed Shumate, such as always asking him sincerely how things were. When Shumate’s father Bill suffered a stroke in 2012, the Harpers were there.

Bryan and Bryce wore “Press On Warrior” wristbands the Shumates produced. All five Harpers checked in regularly with Shumate.

When Bill died in 2014, Ron called immediately. Shumate said Ron told him “how much he loved me and cared for me and was proud of me.”

“They were an active part of my maturing. That family was definitely a big part of who I am and who I became,” said Shumate, who works as a personal trainer in Southern California.

“You definitely know they love, care for and protect those they’re close to, who’re family to them. That reflects in the way Bryce and Bryan act and handle themselves.”

When the Harpers were teammates for one season at Las Vegas High School, spectators seemed to empathize with Bryan because of the stardom many predicted for Bryce.

But Bryan “never took it like that” and remained his own person, confident in his ability and not begrudging Bryce’s success, their coach Sam Thomas said.

Sibling rivalry is a tricky—and loaded—thing, especially among high achievers in any endeavor.

A psychologist in Baltimore who specializes in relationships between siblings, Avidan Milevsky, explained that rivalry and even aggression are inevitable, unless “de-identification” occurs. That happens when one of them selects a different professional path to minimize comparisons with a more heralded, usually older, sibling and to carve out a unique identity.

When they embrace the same profession, parental influence is often the factor in determining whether siblings can maintain a healthy, rather than a conflict-laden, relationship, he said.

Milevsky offered another pair of sports brothers as an ideal. In fact, he often begins lectures on sibling dynamics by screening a slide showing Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh embracing his brother and then-San Francisco 49ers coach Jim after the former’s victory over the latter in Super Bowl XLVII. Milevsky follows that up with a slide of the Harbaughs posed with their sister and parents.

“The saving grace was the parents raised them well,” Milevsky said of the Harbaughs. “They worked very, very hard to create a sense of harmony in the family. If you don’t see that tension between [siblings], that means their parents were very, very special people and did something unique.”

That’s apparently what’s at play, too, with the Harpers. The brothers maintain regular contact, sometimes after every game, more to encourage one another than to offer tips on approaching a particular pitcher or hitter. Shumate often texts with Bryce and speaks by telephone with Bryan.

Harrisburg manager Matt LeCroy, who coached with the Nationals in 2014 and 2015, has seen the brothers up close, too.

“You can tell they have that bond. I hope my kids have that with each other,” said LeCroy, the father of five. “Once the competition’s over, what else do you have?”

The unfortunate thing is that it’ll likely take being teammates for Bryan and Bryce to appreciate each other’s play in person. Except for that sole Harrisburg game when they wore the same uniform, the Harper brothers have rarely been able to attend the other’s games.

When Bryan pitched in 2013 and 2014 for the Nationals’ Washington-area Single-A teams, Hagerstown and Potomac, he popped over to Nationals Park a few times to watch Bryce in action. The two even lived together in 2014, the year Bryce once drove over to Potomac’s stadium in Virginia to watch the other Nationals play.

“It was awesome,” Bryan said. “I threw well that night, and it was cool to have him there to see.”

It’ll be far cooler whenever—if ever—Bryan is promoted to The Show. Boone considers that a real possibility.

“He’s in the mix,” Boone, in Harrisburg for two of the Portland games, said of the Nationals’ plans. “This year is the best he’s pitched. He’s getting big-league ready… Everyone’s always looking for left-handed pitching, including us.”

Unfortunately for Bryan, he will now have to wait until 2017 to get his chance. All the hard work that got him so close to his dream has been negated by an arm injury. He has been on the disabled list since August 10 and will be unable to return in 2016.

When that time finally comes, however, his support group will be ready.

In the Harpers’ circles, some of the most important people will drop everything to fly…wherever.

“It’ll be the fulfillment of everything he’s worked for his whole life,” Shumate said. “I’ll be really excited when he fulfills it.”

No less pumped up at the thought is Thomas.

“I would love to see Bryan have that opportunity, and it would be that much more special with his brother on the same club,” he said.

“I’d have to dig up $500, $600 to be there, because that’s something I’d never miss. The penalty with my wife would be terrible. I’d probably have to do dishes for a year.”

Hillel Kuttler covers baseball for Bleacher Report. His work has previously appeared at The New York Times and The Washington Post. Follow Hillel on Twitter @HilleltheScribe

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Tim Tebow‘s dream of pursuing a baseball career will continue as the former NFL quarterback and the New York Mets agreed to a minor league contract Thursday.

The Mets announced the deal, noting that Tebow will participate in the instructional league. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the agreement. 

“This decision was strictly driven by baseball,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters after the announcement. “This was not driven by marketing considerations.”

Alderson called Tebow “a classic player development opportunity for us,” comparing him to Seth Lugo and T.J. Rivera, adding that “the idea that any one player has no chance to make it to MLB, I reject.”

Tebow will start in the instructional league on Sept. 18, per Marc Carig of Newsday, with Alderson noting that Tebow “won’t be available every day” due to his commitments with ESPN.

“This is something I don’t take for granted and I am excited about,” Tebow said at the press conference. “I’m looking forward to getting to work.”

When asked about his expectations for success, Tebow said he “would consider success giving it everything I have.”

Tebow, 29, held an open tryout Aug. 30 in front of scouts from 28 of the 30 MLB teams. Playing in a simulated game, Tebow flashed raw power and left some scouts impressed—though, in Tebowian fashion, opinions were split.

“It was a complete waste of time,” an American League scout told USA Today‘s Josh Peter. “It was like watching an actor trying to portray a baseball player. He tried. He tried. That’s the best I can say. He is crazy strong and could run well in one direction, but that’s it. He only had one good throw of all his throws.”

“That was big power,” another scout, who had a more positive outlook, told Peter. “He was mishitting the ball out of the park.”

While few walked out of the tryout thinking they were stumbling on a potential superstar, one thing became clear: Tebow was getting signed.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that eight teams were trying to bring in Tebow. The Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays emerged as the likeliest potential suitors. Atlanta was particularly aggressive, even courting Tebow publicly. Rosenthal also noted one team was eliminated from contention due to their unwillingness to agree to Tebow’s schedule requests. 

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported that the “Tebow field was narrowed to five teams” before he signed with the Mets, adding that “interest was significant.”

“He has demonstrated more than rudimentary baseball skills.” Alderson said of Tebow. “We think he can be a baseball player.”

Tebow, by contrast, wasn’t able to stick on an NFL roster after his run with the New York Jets in 2012. He had seemingly settled into a broadcasting role, which included well-received turns on the SEC Network and even a stint on Good Morning America.

Tebow said the following of baseball, per Peter:

This is something I love to do, and I think when you have that mindset, it lets you be free to just go out there and compete. It lets you be free to do what a lot of people think you can’t do. When you don’t have that (fear), it lets you be able to be free to pursue life and what you’re passionate about, not what other people think you should do.

Tebow hasn’t played competitive baseball since high school, but we’ve learned we can never count him out.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.

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The Miami Marlins have gotten their biggest bat back.

The Marlins reinstated Giancarlo Stanton from the disabled list and classified him as active for Tuesday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, which they announced via Twitter: 

According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Miami will only use Stanton as a pinch hitter, and it’s unclear when he can fully return to the lineup. If he were to reach base, Stanton would not require a pinch runner, per Spencer. 

However, in the fifth inning on Tuesday, Stanton hit a pinch-hit single and was promptly lifted for a pinch runner, per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. 

Stanton has been out since Aug. 13 because of a groin injury he suffered when sliding into second base:

Originally forecasted as a season-ending injury, Stanton missed just 22 games, though his absence had an adverse effect on the Marlins’ postseason hopes. 

Heading into Aug. 14, the Marlins were 60-56 and just .5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second National League wild card spot. Entering play Tuesday, Miami had fallen to 68-70 on the season, sitting five games behind the Cardinals for the second wild card spot.

While Stanton wasn’t enjoying his best season prior to his injury—he had a .244 batting average along with 25 home runs and 70 RBI—opposing pitchers still had to be wary of him. It was especially true when he was able to get ahold of a pitch, as his power can turn a game on its head: 

Since Stanton went on the disabled list, Miami has gone just 8-14 while losing nine of its past 10 games. With the Cardinals, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates all ahead of the Marlins in the wild-card standings, they can only hope Stanton’s bat sparks a turnaround with 24 games remaining. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Atlanta Braves are reportedly considering signing former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow to a minor league contract after meeting with him following his workout for MLB teams earlier this week.

Pedro Gomez of ESPN reported Saturday that sources confirmed the Braves have “definite interest” in the outfielder, who last played organized baseball in 2005. Tebow put his baseball skills on display for 27 of the league’s 30 teams Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Josh Peter of USA Today said there were mixed reviews after the session, with one American League scout saying: “It was a complete waste of time. It was like watching an actor trying to portray a baseball player. He tried. He tried. That’s the best I can say. He is crazy strong, and could run well in one direction, but that’s it. He only had one good throw of all his throws.”

Another scout, this one from the National League, provided a more favorable assessment: “Better than I expected, to be honest. … That’s a big dude, for as fast as he can run. The power was impressive, but I wish he could have translated it maybe a little better [against live pitching].”

According to Jon Morosi of the MLB Network, Tebow had one hit in six plate appearances against former MLB reliever Chad Smith in the workout.

The 6’3″, 260-pounder has always had a unique blend of size, power and athletic ability, but it didn’t translate to consistent on-field success in the NFL. Now he’s 29 and trying to make the transition to baseball at a time when most players are already enjoying their peak seasons.

Even the most optimistic outlook would suggest he needs at least one full season in the minor leagues to adjust to live pitching. It’s unlikely he’ll ever make a significant impact in the majors, even if he’s signed.

That said, the Braves would be a nice landing spot. They already own one of the league’s top five farm systems, according to Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter. It also helps that Atlanta has a big following throughout the Southeast, where the Florida Gators QB rose to superstardom.

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NEW YORK — There were four of them, four young starting pitchers, and last October they carried the New York Mets into the World Series.

It felt like it could be the start of something big—a team built around strong young arms that could think about winning with them, year after year. The Mets lost the World Series to the Kansas City Royals, but with pitching like this, there would be more chances.

There still could be, but on this first weekend of September, the Mets are battling for a playoff spot, and only one of those four young pitchers is healthy enough to pitch. If last year’s Mets were a lesson on how to build with young arms, this year’s Mets are the reminder that all too often those arms can break.

The Mets sent 24-year-old Noah Syndergaard to the mound Friday night against the Washington Nationals. Syndergaard didn’t win, but he looked so good the Mets could dream of having him start a winner-take-all Wild Card Game in 33 days.

Nice dream, but how do the Mets get there with a rotation that currently consists of Syndergaard, 43-year-old Bartolo Colon and three guys who spent most of this season in the minor leagues?

Already, the Mets lost 27-year-old Matt Harvey for the season from surgery to deal with thoracic outlet syndrome.

Then, before Syndergaard took the mound Friday, manager Terry Collins said 25-year-old left-hander Steven Matz won’t pick up a ball until Monday and won’t go with the Mets when they begin their next trip in Cincinnati. A while later, the Mets announced that 28-year-old right-hander Jacob deGrom had an MRI on his right forearm, and while they said doctors found no structural damage, they also said deGrom “likely” won’t be making his next start.

“Really unfortunate to hear that,” Syndergaard said, after the 4-1 loss to the Nationals.

Collins and deGrom tried hard to paint a brighter picture, calling the MRI results a great relief.

“I’m pretty certain I’ll be back out there [this season],” deGrom said.

Perhaps he will be, but the doctor’s recommendation was he takes medication to reduce the inflammation and doesn’t attempt to throw until the soreness subsides.

“I’ve got to be smart about it,” deGrom said. “I feel like I could throw now.”

It’s admirable and understandable that he wants to pitch, but the fact is no one can yet say when it would be smart for him to pitch. The same goes for Matz, who last started Aug. 14 before he added shoulder soreness to the bone spur in his elbow as ailments that have derailed his season.

At this point, deGrom seems significantly more likely to return than Matz, but the Mets can’t count on either of them. They’ll have to scramble, but then again they’ve been scrambling all season.

They’ve lost three-fourths of their Opening Day infield, with second baseman Neil Walker (back surgery) the latest casualty. The only “healthy” infielder is shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who has started just 12 games since July 31 because of knee trouble but has still managed to hit six home runs in his last eight games.

Collins talks regularly about needing to give Cabrera and left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (playing with a sore quadriceps) rest to get them through the season.

“We can’t lose Yoenis Cespedes for two weeks,” Collins said Friday. “We’ve got to have our lineup intact to have a chance.”

The surprising thing is the Mets still have a chance, even with the pitchers hurt, even with the patched-together lineup. There’s no way they’re catching the Nationals in the National League East—Friday’s loss dropped them 10.5 games behind and gave the Nats a magic number of 18 with 28 games left—but the Mets remain just two games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the final wild-card spot.

Not only that, but after this weekend, the Mets will have 25 games remaining. Three of those 25 will be the week after next in Washington, but the other 22 will be against the Philadelphia Phillies (seven), Atlanta Braves (six), Cincinnati Reds (three), Minnesota Twins (three) and Miami Marlins (three).

It would be hard to come up with an easier final month.

With opponents like that, Syndergaard might make a run at the Cy Young Award. He’s given up just three runs in 22 innings in his last three starts, with opponents collecting just seven hits in 68 at-bats (.103). His ERA for the season is 2.56, which trails only Kyle Hendricks’ of the Chicago Cubs (2.09) and Madison Bumgarner‘s of the San Francisco Giants (2.49).

He could face Bumgarner in the Wild Card Game. He could face Hendricks in a division series game.

All the Mets have to do is get there. With a strong, young and healthy pitching staff, they’d be a good bet to do it.

The four pitchers who carried them to the World Series are still young and strong. But right now, only Syndergaard counts as healthy.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball. 

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New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom is battling forearm tightness that has put him on the shelf since Sept. 2, and it is unclear when he will return to the mound. 

Continue for updates.

Collins Comments on deGrom’s Timeline for Return

Sunday, Sept. 4

Mets manager Terry Collins told reporters there is a “good chance” deGrom will miss multiple starts as he recovers from his forearm inflammation.

DeGrom Comments on Playing Status 

Friday, Sept. 2

“I’m pretty certain I’ll be back out there,” deGrom said when asked whether or not he will play again this season, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

Mets Release Statement on deGrom’s MRI

Friday, Sept. 2

The Mets provided details on the nature of deGrom’s visit to the hospital on Friday, via Steve Gelbs of SNYtv:

After experiencing soreness in his right forearm last night while pitching, Mets pitcher [Jacob] deGrom this afternoon had a precautionary MRI at the Hospital for special Surgery in New York. There is no structural damage.

DeGrom will take medication to relieve the soreness and will resume throwing when the discomfort subsides. He is likely to miss his next start.

DeGrom Diagnosed with Inflammation

Friday, Sept. 2

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, deGrom underwent an examination Friday, which showed no structural damage, but there is inflammation that is likely to cost him at least one start.

DeGrom Struggling to Regain Momentum From ’15

Something has seemed to be off for the last two weeks. DeGrom has allowed 31 hits, four home runs and 16 earned runs in three starts since Aug. 18.

DeGrom has been solid in 2016, though, nothing like the Cy Young contender he was last season. He’s on pace to record the worst marks of his career in ERA (3.04), WHIP (1.203) and hits allowed per nine innings (8.6).

Injuries have been a factor in his career, though. He missed the entire 2011 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late 2010. He was sidelined during his rookie year because of rotator cuff tendinitis, and he dealt with back problems during the early stages of this season.

The Mets starting rotation has already been hit hard by injuries.

Matt Harvey is out for the season, and both Steven Matz and Jon Niese are on the disabled list as well. Bartolo Colon and Noah Syndergaard have been the only reliable starters in New York this season. 

Entering play Monday, the Mets are a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the National League‘s second wild-card spot. Losing deGrom would be a crushing blow for a team that’s already had its share of injuries while fighting to make another playoff appearance after a run to the World Series in 2015. 

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When the injury bug ambushed and carried off Giancarlo Stanton in mid-August, the Miami Marlins lost a power source that still hasn’t been replaced.

But give it up to Christian Yelich for giving it his best shot.

The slender left fielder isn’t known for his power, but he’s changing that more and more with each day. He clubbed seven home runs in August, or as many as he hit in 2015. And on the first day of September, one of his three hits in a 6-4 win over the New York Mets was a three-run job that just cleared the left field fence at Citi Field.

That was Yelich’s third home run in as many days, and he is now hitting .310 with 18 dingers. His previous career high was nine. According to math, he’s doubled that. According to logic, that’s good.

Yelich’s latest helped the Marlins snap a five-game losing streak and climb to within three games of the National League‘s second wild-card spot. But while that’s worthy of lip service, the Marlins’ postseason chances are teetering on the edge of not even being worthy of discussion. They’re 11-18 since August 1 and aren’t in good shape for the stretch run.

But if they ultimately take anything away from a disappointing finish to 2016, it could be that they got to watch Yelich begin his transition from underrated star to legitimate superstar.

We’ve known for years that Yelich can rake. He was a .311 hitter in the minors and a .290 hitter in the majors heading into 2016. He also ran the bases well and played Gold Glove-caliber defense, earning WAR’s approval despite the fact he had just 20 career homers at the end of 2015. You could rub your palms together and say, “If only he had some power…”

That didn’t seem likely to come true, however. As MLB.com’s Andrew Simon illustrated, Yelich was established as a unique (read: “pretty darn weird”) hitter by last season:

Hard contact is, indeed, a good thing, and 2015 was just the latest year in which Yelich made plenty of it. He didn’t even have his highest hard-hit rate, yet he still managed to land in the top 25 in Baseball Savant’s average exit velocity leaderboard at 92.0 miles per hour.

But hard contact alone does not power make. Launch angle is another key ingredient. The higher the launch angle, the more balls in the air, and the more balls to find the gaps or go over the fence. Yelich’s average launch angle in 2015 was 0.7 degrees, pretty close to zero and my making a lame crack about his not even having a launch angle.

Yelich’s aversion to launch angle before 2016 created the highest ratio of ground balls to fly balls of any hitter in the majors. As a sort of bonus, he also had one of the lowest pull rates of any hitter.

The CliffsNotes: Yelich was showing he could barrel the ball well enough to hit for power, but his entire approach was about as far removed from a power hitter’s as you could imagine. 

Obviously, things have changed in 2016. According to the man himself, the adjustment he’s made in working with Marlins hitting coaches Frank Menechino and Barry Bonds (himself a fairly accomplished power hitter) has been a mental one.

“We worked on some stuff in [the cage], I liked it and got a feel for it,” the 24-year-old told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. “The stance and the mechanics are the same. I’ve kept the same approach. It was more of a thought process that helped.”

Mental adjustments are more difficult to turn into hard evidence, but a few things stand out.

Thing 1: Yelich is getting under more balls, posting an average launch angle of 2.0 degrees that’s led to the lowest ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio of his career.

Thing 2: He’s been pulling the ball more, entering Thursday with a career-high 35.1 pull percentage. 

Thing 3: Yelich hasn’t needed his newfound pull habit to hit for power, slugging .417 on pitches on and off the outside edge of the strike zone. He had never done better than .320 before. Not surprisingly, the key has been driving the ball to left field.

In addition to trying new things, Yelich has made his quietly good raw power downright elite. He’s averaging 96.8 mph on his fly balls and line drives. That’s 0.1 mph south of Miguel Cabrera, who is literally Miguel Cabrera.

Apologies for the ongoing number barrage, but the last one we need to look at is one that relates back to that half-baked thought about what Yelich could be with more power. Per Baseball-Reference.com’s WAR, it turns out Yelich with power is arguably the best left fielder in baseball:

1. Christian Yelich: 4.8
2. Starling Marte: 4.5
3. Ryan Braun: 3.9

It makes sense. Left field isn’t a big superstar position. And considering that he can now run, field, hit and hit for power, Yelich is making a darn strong case to be called a superstar.

It’s probably too late for this to mean anything for a Marlins team that has too little. But Yelich isn’t going anywhere, and Miami is entitled to the warm thought that this is just the beginning.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless otherwise noted/linked.

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New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker will undergo season-ending back surgery as he continues to battle pain related to a herniated disk.

Continue for updates.

Walker Comments on Surgery

Thursday, Sept. 1

Walker said he will have a three-month recovery following his surgery, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Walker indicated that he cannot feel a toe because a disk in his back is pressing against a nerve, per James Wagner of the New York Times.

According to Marc Carig of Newsday, after getting multiple opinions, Walker said playing through the injury would exacerbate the issue.

Walker, who missed four straight games and eight total in August, has been dealing with a herniated disk that has caused him considerable discomfort. According to the New York Post‘s Howie Kussoy, the herniated disk caused “weakness in one of his legs and numbness in one of his feet.”

“It’s been on and off all year,” manager Terry Collins added, per Kussoy. “As Neil puts it, he has grinded it out, the discomfort level. Sometimes it goes up, and when it goes back down he needs rest until the strength comes back up again.”

Walker’s Injury Comes at Unfortunate Time for Mets

The news comes as a blow to the Mets, who are still hanging tough in the National League wild-card race with the regular season drawing to a close.

Before hitting the shelf, Walker batted .282 with 23 home runs, 55 RBI and a .347 on-base percentage.

The Mets should continue to employ Wilmer Flores as a stopgap solution at second base.

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