Mets relieved injuries to Cespedes, Syndergaard aren't bad

ATLANTA (AP) New York Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes should miss no more than a couple of games and pitcher Noah Syndergaard is expected to make his next start.

A day after both players were hurt in a win over Kansas City, the Mets said Thursday that neither injury was significant.

Cespedes, who's third in the NL with 18 homers, was not in the lineup Thursday at Atlanta after having a cortisone shot in his left wrist. He's been bothered by the pain over the last week, but didn't tell manager Terry Collins until Wednesday.

''Right now I'm ready to play,'' Cespedes said through a translator. ''The manager said he was going to give me a day off.''

Syndergaard, who ranks sixth in the NL in both ERA and strikeouts, was prescribed anti-inflammatory medication for his right elbow. An MRI showed nothing wrong with the structure of his elbow.

Syndergaard had a similar problem in a start May 2 against the San Francisco Giants.

''It flares up every so often,'' Collins said. ''Certainly I'm glad there's nothing wrong structurally but I was real concerned about Cespedes because he never says anything. So for him to say something, I was concerned about it.''

Cespedes dealt with a similar injury three years ago when he played for Oakland. Collins knows that hand and wrist injuries sometimes heal slowly for hitters.

''That's one of the reasons I wanted him to rest tonight,'' Collins said. ''Let that shot take effect and see how he feels tomorrow.''

Already missing David Wright, Lucas Duda, Juan Lagares and Zack Wheeler, Collins appreciated Syndergaard speaking up that he didn't feel right. It was obvious, though, that something was amiss when Syndergaard's fastball velocity dropped from 98 to 93 mph.

''We try to make these young guys understand that it's all in their best interests,'' Collins said. ''We're bending over backwards trying to protect them, so the last thing I need is for him to go out there and try to pitch through discomfort. I'm glad he's OK. I know he'll make his next start.''

Mets assistant general manager John Ricco added that Wheeler, who hopes to return after All-Star break following Tommy John surgery last year, had a cortisone shot in his right elbow.

''As you're coming back from this type of surgery, there's some normal soreness that occurs,'' Ricco said. ''You want to make sure the ligament and everything is sound. That's the reason we flew him up there. He was checked out, MRI, everything looked good.''