That "short-handed" part is doing a lot of work. Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, and Tyrone Taylor are all on the 10-day IL, Kodai Senga and Clay Holmes aren't walking through that door, and the bullpen is held together by minor-league deals. Francisco Alvarez did get back this week and homered Wednesday, which is the one piece of good news Mets fans can grab onto.
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton (RP) — Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.05/14
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse (SP) — Robberse (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos (RP) — The Red Sox traded Santos (undisclosed) and Nick Robertson to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for Tyler O'Neill (foot), Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson (SP) — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.05/08
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson (RP) — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.05/08
- 10-Day-ILRamon Urias (3B) — Urias (elbow) returned to St. Louis to undergo an examination on his left elbow, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.06/06
- 15-Day-ILRyan Fernandez (RP) — The Cardinals recalled Fernandez from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.06/05
- Day-To-DayBrandon Waddell (RP) — Waddell (shoulder) picked up the win after allowing three runs on four hits while striking out two across three innings during Saturday's game against Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.06/01
- Day-To-DayAdbert Alzolay (RP) — The Mets reassigned Alzolay to minor-league camp Tuesday.06/01
- Day-To-DayMike Tauchman (RF) — Tauchman (knee) is still rehabbing at the Mets' spring training complex and has yet to resume baseball activities, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.05/18
- Day-To-DayGrae Kessinger (3B) — no05/13
- Day-To-DayJoe Jacques (RP) — The Mets signed Jacques to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayKevin Herget (RP) — Herget signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Mets on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayJose Rojas (3B) — Triple-A Salt Lake placed Rojas on its COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILJorge Polanco (1B) — An MRI on Polanco's left ankle/Achilles tendon came back negative Tuesday, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.06/09
- 10-Day-ILFrancisco Lindor (SS) — Lindor (calf) will go through full baseball activities this week during the Mets' homestand, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.06/09
- 10-Day-ILTyrone Taylor (CF) — Taylor (hip) began running this past week but has yet to resume full baseball activities, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.06/08
- 10-Day-ILRonny Mauricio (SS) — The Mets placed Mauricio (thumb) on the 10-day injured list Sunday.05/08
- 15-Day-ILKodai Senga (SP) — Senga (spine/arm) will resume his rehab assignment at Double-A Binghamton on Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.06/11
- OutRobert Stock (RP) — Stock (shoulder) said Sunday that he'll require surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome and could be sidelined for the remainder of the season, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILLuis Robert Jr. (CF) — Robert was administered a series of injections for his injured back, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.05/29
- 60-Day-ILClay Holmes (SP) — The Mets transferred Holmes (fibula) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.05/19
- 60-Day-ILReed Garrett (RP) — The Mets placed Garrett (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILDedniel Nunez (RP) — The Mets placed Nunez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILJustin Hagenman (RP) — The Mets placed Hagenman on the 60-day injured list Saturday due to a rib fracture.05/08
- 60-Day-ILTylor Megill (SP) — The Mets placed Megill (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.05/08
On the Cardinals side it's just Ramon Urias and a few bullpen arms — nothing that explains why this team is suddenly steamrolling people. They're 37-28 and 9 games clear of the Mets in the standings, and the vibes gap is somehow even wider than that. Christian Scott has been the Mets' most reliable starter in a rotation that desperately needs one, so if New York is going to salvage anything from this homestand, today's the day.
Carlos Mendoza is publicly backing his guys but the lineup card is going to look thin again. A getaway-day matinee against a hot opponent with your two best position players in street clothes is a tough ask. Scott has to be sharp and the bats have to wake up — or this thing is 3-zip and the flight to the next series gets very quiet.