New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto (concussion) “could return from the injured list as soon as tomorrow,” as per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Conforto, 26, has been sidelined since last Thursday after colliding with Robinson Cano on a shallow pop up versus the Nationals and suffering a concussion.
The Washington native is slashing .271/.406/.521 on the season with nine homers, 21 RBIs, nine doubles, a .390 weighted on-base average (10th in NL), 153 weighted runs created plus rating (ninth), and 1.9 wins above replacement (FanGraphs; also ninth).
“I feel normal. I feel happy that I’m back to doing full baseball activity,” Conforto told the press (video via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). “I feel good. I feel 100 percent. I’m just kinda taking it day by day.”
“I think MLB has to clear me first, and then over the next two days or so, we’ll see. I feel good. It’s kinda based on when I’m ready to get in the box and when I feel like my swing is where it’s [got to be].”
Mets skipper Mickey Callaway gave some insight as to what comes next in this process.
“He did all of his baseball activity today so we get to present that [to MLB],” Callaway told the team’s media corps. “Then really just have discussions on when we want to do this thing if he gets cleared.”
Conforto offered some perspective on his injury (with a splash of dark humor) and seems to be chomping at the bit to return.
“This injury is kind of different because, you know, I didn’t hurt my shoulder, I didn’t hurt anything on my body, it’s obviously just the brain (laughs). Just the brain, right?”
This organization learned the hard way — both Jason Bay and Ryan Church, among many other MLB players, had their careers permanently altered by concussions — what type of long-lasting damage brain injuries cause.
Clearly, both team and player will be proceeding cautiously in this particular scenario. Thankfully, the 26-year-old outfielder appears to be ready to get back to business.
“I’ve been symptom-free for [five or six] days. Everything feels fine. In the cage, my swing feels fine. It feels like it was when I stopped playing,” Conforto said. “We’re going to have conversations. I feel like I’m ready to go, but we’re gonna be smart about it.”
We’ll keep you posted as any new information becomes available.
