PITTSBURGH — Just when Robinson Cano is starting to hit, the New York Mets star appears headed back to the injured list.
Cano limped off with a strained left hamstring, an injury that overshadowed Noah Syndergaard‘s sparkling outing in a 13-2 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday that pulled New York within one game of .500 for the first time since mid-June.
Cano is to have an MRI on Monday, when the Mets open a homestand with a doubleheader against Miami.
“We don’t know what it is yet. We just are going to get it checked out tomorrow,” Cano said. “We will see what happens.”
Cano lined a hit to right in the fourth inning, his third hit of the game and ninth hit in his last 15 at-bats. He pulled up after rounding first and grabbed at the back of his leg. Melky Cabrera threw to shortstop Kevin Newman, who tagged out Cano.
“Once I feel something, I just stop,” Cano said. “I don’t want to keep running and whatever it is, make it worse.”
In his first season with the Mets after being acquired from Seattle, the 36-year-old was limited to one game between May 22 and June 16 because of a strained left quadriceps. He is hitting .252 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs.