Yoenis Cespedes: Cespedes exits after taking HBP on left hand

A Mets fans’ worst nightmare happened on Tuesday – Yoenis Cespedes left the game early after being hit by a pitch.

The Mets announced that X-rays for broken bones were negative.

Cespedes was hit in the third inning, but the results were not revealed until the sixth.

Cespedes dropped the bat, shook his hand and fell to the dirt in the batter’s box. Cespedes’ arrival from the Detroit Tigers at the non-waiver trade deadline helped transform the Mets’ moribund offense into a credible threat during the final two months of the regular season. Manager Terry Collins and a trainer came out to check on him, and Cespedes exited and was replaced by pinch runner Kirk Nieuwenhuis.

The midseason acquisition of outfielder Yoenis Cespedes – and the immediate effect it had on the NL East-champion New York Mets’ offense – was one of the biggest stories in baseball.

The 29-year-old slugger reached base in both of his plate appearances Wednesday against the Phillies.