According to several reports, Frank Francisco has been battling elbow inflammation, and will be shut down for the time being. Terry Collins told reporters that Francisco has been dealing with the inflammation for the last week or so.
"He's not throwing. So, we will take a look. I talked to him last week. He did play catch, and there was some inflammation in there. It's nothing the training staff wasn't prepared for - they thought it might happen. So we just want to quiet the swelling down before he plays catch. Frank told me last week "I'll be ready." Collins said.
Francisco underwent minor elbow surgery back in December and had a terrible 2012 season, posting a a 5.53 ERA in 48 appearances. He was shutdown after September 16 because of right elbow soreness. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Collins is going to tell Bobby Parnell tomorrow to begin preparing to be the team's closer.
I don't want Francisco to be injured, but this could be a blessing in disguise for the Mets. Parnell has been given the opportunity to close out a few games over the past year or two, and has had mixed results. Some say that he can't handle the pressure of the 9th inning, and others believe that he needs to work on his control and a secondary pitch to go with his deadly fastball that occasionally reaches 100 mph. I'm looking forward to seeing Parnell step up and finally prove that he can handle the job. And, if he doesn't have success, Collins could use Lyon, or even Hawkins as the interim closer. This is why bullpen depth is key to have a successful team. Luckily Sandy Alderson went out a grabbed a few decent arms when he had the chance.
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