Johan Santana on DL with Ankle/Shoulder Problems

Who ever thought an ankle injury could lead to shoulder problems? In the realm of Mets injuries, nothing is impossible. The team has placed Johan Santana on the disabled list with shoulder “fatigue” caused by an ankle injury.

Santana twisted his ankle in his final start before the All-Star game when a runner stepped on it while Santana was covering first.

Santana had the All-Star break to recover, but he allowed six runs in each of his two starts since the break, lasting a total of eight innings. Terry Collins said the ankle injury forced Santana to pitch “all arm” during Friday’s loss to the Dodgers, leading to “some fatigue” in his surgically-repaired shoulder.

“Johan, I think, has exhibited the effects of 100 innings and a sore ankle the last couple of starts. We think the ankle injury might have led to some general fatigue in the shoulder,” Sandy Alderson said, according to the Daily News. “In light of the surgery and where he’s been and what he’s accomplished, we’ve gotten to the point that he probably needs to get that ankle right and get back to the point where he feels confident about pitching.”

The Mets have called up Jeremy Hefner to take Santana’s place on the roster, but there is still a possibility that Matt Harvey could make his major league debut in the near future.

One thing is certain — a rotation of two solid starters (R.A. Dickey and Jonathon Niese), a 6’11” reclamation project whose fastball cannot break pane of glass (Chris Young) an over-the-hill pitcher (Miguel Batista) and a rookie who hasn’t shown much (Hefner) will not lead a team to contention for a Wild Card berth.