A line drive off the bat of switching hitting Rockies' second baseman Aaron Miles struck RHP Mike DeJean on his right shin during the first game of the Mets' August 19th doubleheader in Colorado. While the incident forced DeJean to leave that game, he remained on active duty in the bullpen when x-rays failed to reveal a break. However, he experienced lingering pain in the area to the extent that he began to wear a protective boot and use crutches, which led New York to order an MRI that revealed a bruise and a sprain. Although DeJean then proceeded to pitch an inning on the 27th, the Mets did not feel comfortable making day-to-day judgments regarding his physical capacity to pitch and were not content to wait for September roster expansion before adding another fresh arm to the pen after a 10-2 loss to the Dodgers on the 29th. Consequently, on the 30th, New York placed DeJean on the disabled list. The 33-year-old should be prepared to resume his role in the pen when he is first eligible to come off the DL on September 12th.

In conjunction with DeJean's move to the DL, the Mets designated 1B/OF-R Brian Buchanan for assignment, called up RHP Heath Bell, and activated C-R Mike Piazza from the disabled list. Buchanan had signed with New York on August 25th after refusing to have San Diego assign him to the minors. The Mets gave no reason for the change in their perception of Buchanan's usefulness.

Heath Bell signed with New York as a non-drafted free agent out of Santa Ana Junior College in 1998. He then worked his way through the Mets' system as a reliever, displaying impressive dominance and generally solid overall skills. New York first called him to the majors on August 24th to put an extra arm in the pen while demoting RHP Aaron Heilman. However, Bell returned to the minors a day later to clear a roster spot for Buchanan. The 26-year-old should be an effective long reliever for the Mets this month and could go a long way towards solidifying a place in next year's bullpen, if he performs with the dominance of which he is capable.

New York had called up Heilman for a spot start on August 23rd, but his disappointing performance led the club to demote him the following day. Now that rosters have expanded, the Mets likely will recall him shortly after he is eligible to return from the minors. However, while he might make another spot start or two, I expect the 25-year-old to spend most of September as a long reliever. He obviously still has control issues to work through.

Piazza rested his inflamed left knee a bit longer than originally anticipated, but even though New York's chances of making the playoffs are negligible, he intends to play out the season. While he likely will not spend many games behind the plate over the remainder of the year, the Mets plan to play him regularly at first base.

When rosters expanded on September 1st, New York recalled 1B-L Craig Brazell, RHP Matt Ginter, and RHP Tyler Yates. All three have already made at least one trip between AAA and the majors this season. Brazell's first trip to the majors ended on August 22nd when the Mets needed his roster spot to call up Ginter for a spot start. New York may try to give Brazell a chance to prove himself during games when Piazza is not playing first, but Manager Art Howe could just as easily continue to turn to CR-R Todd Zeile and 1B/OF-L Eric Valent out of habit.

Ginter was bounced back to AAA a day after his spot start in order to clear room for Heilman's brief turn in the rotation. RHP Kris Benson is missing his current start due to a tired shoulder, so Ginter is scheduled to start today. However, Benson is expected to attempt to make his next start, so Ginter likely will assume a long relief role for the remainder of the season barring further injuries to the rotation.

RHP Jae Seo, who the Mets called up on August 27th to fill the roster spot opened by the RHP Dan Wheeler trade, appears to have claimed the rotation opening created by RHP Victor Zambrano's trip to the DL. Seo's performance over the remainder of the season likely will determine whether he goes into spring training as a favorite for a rotation spot or if New York decides to phase the 27-year-old out of their future plans.

Zambrano hit the DL on August 19th after leaving his August 17th start at Colorado in the second inning as a result of elbow inflammation. An MRI revealed a small tear in the flexor muscle of his right elbow, which is the same injury that was causing him pain when the Mets acquired him from Tampa Bay in late July. Evidently, the pain never went away, but Zambrano was not comfortable complaining earlier. New York plans to rest him three to four weeks and then bring him back for a start or two at the end of the season if he feels better. However, he could easily miss the remainder of the season.

The Mets called up RHP Bartolome Fortunato, who was acquired from the Devil Rays at the same time as Zambrano, to fill the roster spot opened by the DL trip. After making a few appearances, Fortunato spent over a week on the sidelines due to a sore shoulder, but he has since resumed pitching. Provided he remains pain free, Fortunato should continue to appear in middle relief for New York this month, and like Bell, the impression he makes now likely will play a substantial part in determining his chances of winning a spot in the Mets' 2005 pen.

Meanwhile, New York placed UT-R Joe McEwing on the DL on August 20th. McEwing broke his left fibula when C-S J.D. Closser slid into him while he was trying to field a double play ball at second base in the sixth inning of the second game of the Mets' August 19th doubleheader in Colorado. As the broken leg likely will require six to eight weeks to heal, McEwing is out for the season.

New York called up 2B-R Jeff Keppinger to replace McEwing on the roster. The Mets originally assigned Keppinger to AA Binghamton in the Eastern League, but about two weeks after acquiring him from Pittsburgh, the organization promoted him to AAA Norfolk in the International League. Considering he has less than two-dozen AAA at-bats, the 24-year-old is performing acceptably while sharing the second base duties with 2B-R Danny Garcia. Their arrangement likely will continue for the remainder of the season.