Davis injures oblique, probably out for the year

Ike Davis left last night's game early with a strained oblique. He appeared to injure himself during a swing that he took in the third inning. After the game Terry Collins told reporters that he expects Davis to miss the remainder of the season. He also said that Davis will most likely not go on the disabled list due to the rosters expanding on September 1st. 

If this does mark the end of Davis' season, it'll officially mark the 2013 campaign as a disappointment. The 26 year old hit .205 with 9 home runs and 33 RBI in 377 plate appearances. He also had 101 strikeouts. 

Davis had a horrible start to the season, hitting .161 with just 5 home runs in his first 55 games. On July 10th, he was demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he hit .293 with 7 home runs in 21 games. Since returning from his stint in the minors, he played slightly better. While his .267 batting average was nothing to brag about, he had a strong .429 on-base percentage.

Davis earned $3.13 million this season, and will continue to be arbitration eligible when this season comes to an end. Despite his weak season, he will likely earn a small salary bump. If he does avoid arbitration, expect his salary to be around $4-5 million.

The Mets have a decision to make though. Have they seen enough of Davis to non-tender him, and allow him to go elsewhere to rejuvenate his career? 

Personally, I am a supporter of the Mets non-tendering Davis. He has shown his flaws as a player, and from a fan's perspective, that gives him a cloudy long-term future with his team. The Mets are trying to shed payroll, and wasting at least $4-5 million on him would seem pointless.

There are other first-baseman out there, most notably Justin Morneau and Kendrys Morales. Neither of them would demand a pricey contract.  

Of-course there is a concern that if Davis goes elsewhere, he would be able to find himself relatively quickly. As a former first round pick, he has all of the potential, and raw power in the world to become a solid first baseman. If the Mets let him walk and he finds himself in, let's say Colorado or Cleveland, he could become a Chris Davis 2.0, who has found a home in Baltimore.