Jose Reyes Hurts Hamstring

New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is a front runner for the NL MVP at the midpoint of the season. He leads the majors with 123 hits, 15 triples and a .352 batting average. Reyes also ranks second in stolen bases (30) and runs scored (65) and first in multihit games (42). Saturday, in an interleague game against the Yankees, Reyes was forced to leave the game with a hamstring injury.

How serious is it? When will the Mets learn of the extent of Reyes’ injury? Here is more from the Ian Begley of espnnewyork.com, followed by more blogging from Scott.

The fate of Jose Reyes’ season could be decided Sunday morning in a Manhattan hospital.The New York Mets shortstop will undergo an MRI early Sunday to determine the extent of a left hamstring injury that forced him out of Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees.

The severity of the injury is unclear at this point. Reyes doesn’t think he will miss significant time but noted after the game that he still felt tightness and pain in the hamstring.

I’d like to say Mets fans can take a little comfort in Reyes’ belief that he won’t miss significant time, but they have seen this episode before. Reyes has struggled with injuries throughout his eight and a half year career (all with the Mets).  For it to occur now, when Reyes is in the midst of a potential history-making season, it makes national league New York fans even more nervous.

Despite currently sitting a game under .500, the Mets have overachieved this season, and over the month of June, put together consistently winning baseball. They were showing signs of contending for a wild card spot the second half of the season. Losing Reyes for any extended period of time would simply cripple the Mets, and end any hope they have of playing baseball in October.