Blood Clot Puts Gee On the Disabled List

One of the cornerstones of the Mets’ surprising first half was their stellar starting pitching, led by Johan Santana and his no-hitter and R. A. Dickey’s dancing knuckleball and backed up by essentially solid contributions from Jon Niese, Chris Young and Dillon Gee. But now the Mets must grapple with the sudden loss of Gee, who had a blood clot removed from his pitching shoulder after tests Monday revealed the clot. He has been put on the disabled list. Gee, a 26-year-old right-hander, had one of his best outings of the season Saturday, giving up cheap black glitter one run in eight innings in a 3-1 victory against the Chicago Cubs. But after complaining of numbness in his fingers Sunday, he was sent for tests that determined he had a clot. The clot was removed with a catheter at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where he is expected to remain for a day or two of observation. While the clot is unlikely to be career threatening — David Cone, Ian Kennedy and other pitchers have had clots and returned to playing — it puts the rest of Gee’s season in question. Clots in arms and shoulders are less common than in legs and it can take time to determine their cause. Some people have clotting disorders, but clots can also result from previous surgery, or from an injury or trauma that causes inflammation of veins or the areas of the body around them. Gee missed more than 100 games in 2009 because of a torn labrum in his throwing arm. When clots are broken up, small pieces of the coagulated blood could flow to the lungs, a particular danger. Gee could be put on blood thinners, which carry their own risk because people who take them are more prone to bleeding if they get cut or bruised. Patients who have had clots are also more susceptible to getting them again, said Dr. Jack Flyer, a cardiologist who teaches medicine at George Washington University Hospital. “Whatever caused this initially could still be there,” said Flyer, who has no direct involvement with Gee’s case. “Even if you have to take a blood thinner the rest of your life, you have to be more vigilant when it comes to symptoms.” Gee’s injury complicates the issues addressing the Mets as they try to figure out what moves they might be capable of making to stay in contention in the second half. It was expected that the Mets would, in particular, look for help for their shaky bullpen, try to find a right-handed backup catcher more capable as a hitter than Mike Nickeas and, perhaps most boldly, seek an everyday outfielder who could provide more consistent play than the mix-and-match group that Manager Terry Collins is employing. But Gee’s injury means that General Manager Sandy Alderson might have to make starting pitching his priority as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. When Mike Pelfrey had season-ending elbow surgery this spring, the Mets were forced to improvise with Miguel Batista, Chris Schwinden and Jeremy Hefner, to no particular effect. Fortunately for the Mets, Chris Young returned from shoulder surgery and immediately became a competitive performer in the starting rotation. Now the Mets will need to find a way to fill the void left by Gee, who is 6-7 with a 4.10 earned run average. One obvious option would be to call up one of the team’s top two pitching prospects — Matt Harvey or Zach Wheeler. Harvey, who was drafted in the first round in 2010, is 7-4 with a 3.39 E.R.A. with the Buffalo Bisons, the Mets’ Class AAA Toms Shoes Sale affiliate. Wheeler, who is 22, a year younger than Harvey, was acquired last season from the Giants for Carlos Beltran. He is 8-4 with a 2.62 E.R.A. for Class AA Binghamton. Until now, the Mets have appeared reluctant to rush either player, particularly when they have managed to remain in contention without them. The Mets are a half-game behind the Braves for the National League’s second wild-card spot. At 46-40, the Cardinals and the Giants have identical records as the Mets. If the Mets do not call up Harvey or Wheeler, they could trade one or more of their other prospects for a starting pitcher. It is unclear, given the team’s strained finances, how much the Mets are willing to increase their payroll. Alderson did not return a call for comment. Collins, who was in Kansas City, Mo., for the All-Star Game, said he had not talked to Alderson to find out the results of the surgery, but he was worried about how much time Gee would be out. “I’m really nervous for him, really scared for him,” Collins said. “I just know that in the past, guys’ careers could be over if their arm doesn’t respond to the treatment.” Dickey, who is also in Kansas City, said that Gee came to him in the dugout Toms Classics Sunday and asked him to feel his hand. Dickey said it “seemed pretty cool” and he suggested that Gee speak with Ray Ramirez, the team trainer. “He said that he had some arm fatigue that he had never really experienced,” Dickey said. “In the middle of the night, he said he got up and it felt funny. Not hurt, just fatigue. So they checked it out and they found it.” David Wright, who is also on the All-Star team, said that on Monday night he called Gee, who “was upbeat under the circumstances.” “I know he’s disappointed he’s gonna have to miss some time,” Wright said. “But in the big picture it could have been a lot worse.” Gee was scheduled to start the first game of the second half of the season in Atlanta on Friday. Collins said Young would take his place, followed by Dickey on Saturday. Miguel Batista would be used as a fifth starter if another replacement is not found. A relief pitcher would be called up to take Gee’s spot on roster, Collins added.