Mets first baseman Lucas Duda (back) placed on disabled list

Alvarez, a lefty, has had a strong season in the minor leagues this year, earning him a call-up when Lucas Duda was placed on the disabled list. Considering he had already missed six starts with a strain in his lower back, the Mets wanted to be sure he was able to fully recover this time.

Duda, who’s been dealing with a nagging back issue the past couple weeks, was forced to leave Friday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies in the seventh-inning after his back “locked up” on him.

Duda, who said he never had an MRI or X-Rays on the back, said he is seeking a second opinion with renowned spine specialist Dr. Robert Watkins in California on Monday.

The Mets offense exploded for 14 runs on 16 hits last night against the Rockies, most of it coming from Yoenis Cespedes, but an important part of their lineup could be headed for the disabled list.

Collins said the fact Wright is returning and the Mets have added established hitters such as Cespedes, Juan Uribe and Johnson doesn’t make the Duda injury much easier to accept. But in the meantime, it’s reassuring to know that the Mets have a deep enough roster to withstand Duda going to the DL without experiencing a drastic drop off. It’s something that couldn’t be said about the Mets a month ago, providing another example of how New York’s acquisitions prior to the deadline are paying huge dividends.

“It was stiff he played for awhile with, and I think he was doing pretty good”, manager Terry Collins said. While he was cleared to play last time, obviously there was still something in there that it reoccurred. ESPN’s Adam Rubin projects Michael Cuddyer and Daniel Murphy to split time at first base in his absence. That gave every Mets starter but Michael Cuddyer at least one RBI – and five of them had two. “So we decided this time to give it the whole 15 days and hopefully be back for a stretch run”.

“We got a lot of pieces”.