How Christian Scott's Injury Affects Mets, Rest of NL East

The Mets suffered another tough blow.

Jun 11, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott (45) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets have had a difficult season to date. After a second-half collapse last season, the Mets now find themselves in last place in the National League East. They have dealt with a lot of injuries this season, and some of the players they added in the offseason have not lived up to their expectations.

To make matters worse, right-hander Christian Scott was placed on the injured list on Monday with a right hip impingement. Fortunately for New York, it appears to be very mild, but it's still going to affect the Mets.

Here's how things may look for the Mets in the short-term and how it affects the rest of the NL East.

How Christian Scott's injury affect Mets, NL East

Jun 5, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Christian Scott (45) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

On the surface, it doesn't seem too severe. The injury is mild, and New York can simply place Kodai Senga back in the rotation. But Senga is also an injury-prone arm, and he owns a 9.00 ERA on the season.

As Will Sammon of The Athletic points out, the Mets' rotation has already taken a lot of hits, as Clay Holmes is also out for the foreseeable future. The Mets are 32-40 and are essentially buried in the National League East, but they are just 5 1/2 games out in the wild card race.

But with another pitching injury, they could slip further in the wild card race. They also have a tough schedule coming up, as they will play the Philadelphia Phillies twice before the All-Star break and match up with the Atlanta Braves.

This represents a chance for Philadelphia and Atlanta to put even more distance between themselves and the Mets and bury New York further in the standings. The Mets may be viewed as a softer spot on the schedule for some contending teams.

The good news for the Mets is that Scott's injury doesn't appear to be overly serious. They also are simply being cautious about it by putting him on the IL. But New York's rotation has taken a lot of hits, so this could certainly hurt them and lead to them falling further out of the race in the NL East, as well as the wild card hunt.

The Mets are firmly in last place, so it's going to take a miracle for them to pull themselves out of the gutter in the NL East and find their way back into the race.