Jason Bay is on the disabled list with a concussion, the latest setback in his frustrating first season with the Mets.
The left fielder was placed on the 15-day DL before the Mets opened a three-game series Friday night against Arizona. The move was made retroactive to Monday, the day after the Mets completed a series at Dodger Stadium, where Bay was injured.
Bay got hurt last Friday night when he crashed into the bullpen gate while catching Jamey Carroll’s drive at the left-field fence. He played Saturday and Sunday, going 2 for 9 with four strikeouts, and said he didn’t feel the effects of the concussion until experiencing headaches on the flight back to New York.
Bay sat out a three-game series against St. Louis this week. The Mets said he was examined by the club’s medical staff Friday and is still having headaches. He was put on the DL as a precaution, but it’s unclear how long he will be sidelined.
“I guess it varies in different people,” manager Jerry Manuel said.
The Mets have depth in the outfield. Center fielder Carlos Beltran’s return this month from offseason knee surgery shifted Angel Pagan to right and cut Jeff Francoeur’s playing time. With Bay sidelined, Pagan will play left and Francoeur is an everyday starter in right again.
After signing a $66 million, four-year contract in the offseason, Bay is yet to deliver the kind of power and production the Mets expected. He is batting .259 with six home runs and 47 RBIs after setting career highs with 36 homers and 119 RBIs for Boston last year.
Bay’s injury represents the latest concussion issue for the Mets, who were criticized for the way they handled outfielder Ryan Church in 2008 after he sustained his second concussion in less than three months.
Star slugger David Wright also missed 15 games with a concussion last year after he was hit in the head by a fastball from San Francisco pitcher Matt Cain. Wright said he’s spoken to Bay a few times this week, mostly to see how he’s feeling. Bay was not at the ballpark Friday.
“By no means am I an expert on concussions, but I’ll be the first one if he has any questions or needs any advice,” Wright said. “Right now the best thing is just to relax. You want Jason in the lineup, but at the same time you understand that, after I went through it, it’s probably a good thing to get some down time to make sure everything is 100 percent completely gone before you try to do anything again and maybe make it worse.
“So I think it’s probably the right decision, as far as just making sure that it’s a two-week thing and then hopefully no effects after that.”
To fill Bay’s roster spot, the Mets recalled outfielder Jesus Feliciano from Triple-A Buffalo, where he was leading the International League with a .346 batting average.
The 31-year-old Feliciano was in his 13th minor league season before getting his first big league call-up earlier this year. He did a nice job for the Mets in spot duty, going 16 for 55 (.291) with four doubles in 21 games from June 8 to July 11.
“It’s awesome for me because now I know what it takes. I got to learn a lot of things,” Feliciano said. “I’m more comfortable now and hopefully I can help the team.”
He was sent back down to make roster room when Beltran came off the disabled list.
In another move, the Mets traded minor league first baseman Mike Jacobs to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named. Jacobs was at Buffalo after beginning the season with the Mets.
Right-handed reliever Sean Green will continue his rehab assignment with Buffalo after pitching in a combined seven games with Class-A St. Lucie and the rookie-level Gulf Coast Mets.
Green has been on the DL since April 8 with a strained muscle on his right side.