MLB Player News

As expected, the Mets placed shortstop Ruben Tejada on the 15-day disabled list with a quad injury Thursday, and called up Omar Quintanilla from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Tejada suffered the injury Wednesday against the Yankees. 

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada is headed to the disabled list, according to a report by CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

Tejada left Wednesday's game in the ninth inning with the injury, suffered while chasing down a pop fly in foul territory.

Doctors will evaluate the right quad injury suffered by Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada Thursday morning, the New York Daily News reports. Tejada suffered the injury while sliding to avoid colliding with Mike Baxter in foul territory during a pop fly.

"He said he felt it running after the popup and that’s why he slid," manager Terry Collins said after the game. "He thought he could catch it, but he slid because his leg started to pull on him. He slid and then the groundball, obviously, you could tell something was wrong."

Tejada was sidelined for more than a month last season with a strained right quad.

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada left Wednesday's game in the ninth inning after suffering a quad injury, the New York Post reports. He was 1 for 5 and scored a run before exiting the game.

Tejada was a candidate for demotion before the injury, and the team determines it's at least a little bit serious, he seems likely to hit the disabled list.

The New York Post reports Wednesday that Mets management met with first baseman Ike Davis and shortstop Ruben Tejada Tuesday. The meeting, which included manager Terry Collins, general manager Sandy Alderson and assistant general manager John Ricco, concluded with both players being notified that they could be demoted to the minors soon, given their struggles to begin the season.

Davis is batting just .152 with a .478 OPS, while Tejada has a .209 batting average and .533 OPS. 

CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman confirmed the team's discussions, and indicates a decision could be as soon as the team's series with the Yankees comes to an end Thursday. 

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada returned to the leadoff spot Monday night against the Yankees.

Tejada endured a quiet night as he finished 0 for 4 in a 2-1 win. He told The Star Ledger that he is not letting the ball get deeper and is reaching. He is going to try to move up in the batter's box in Tuesday's game.

Tejada has been held without a hit in his last eight at-bats. He is hitting .213 with 10 RBI in 178 at-bats.

Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque Monday to make room on the active roster for the activation of Jerry Hairston from the disabled list.

Gordon flopped yet again since his promotion, posting a paltry .175 batting average in 63 at-bats. He had a .532 on-base plus slugging percentage, with five stolen bases in 19 games. 

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford isn't hitting for the same kind of power he did earlier in the season, but he has managed to stay productive recently by upping his batting average.

Crawford has just one extra-base hits in his last seven games, but he is hitting .346 in that span to raise his batting average from .270 to .282 for the season. Crawford also has six RBI in that span, with one stolen base, three walks and just two strikeouts.

Crawford has five home runs and 23 RBI for the season, though he has not homered since the start of May. 

The Mets would like shortstop Ruben Tejada to settle in at the leadoff role, but his struggles this season have forced them to improvise at the top of the order.

Tejada is hitting just .213 on the season, and has struggled to square up the ball consistently;  12 of his last 15 outs have been flyballs, according to MLB.com. With Tejada's lack of power, that is not what the team wants out of him.

"There's some things you've got to do to work to your strengths, and Ruben's is hitting line drives," manager Terry Collins said. "Fly balls, they're great once in a while, when you hit one in the gap, but he's got to start being that line-drive guy that we know."

Tejada hit .289 with a .333 on-base percentage last season, a number that is down to .278 this year. He has hit .213 both in and out of the top spot in the order.

"If he was giving us the at-bats that we saw last year, he is the leadoff hitter," Collins said. "The guy that even with two strikes just battles the pitcher."

According to team sources, the Mets have discussed demoting starting shortstop Ruben Tejada to Triple-A Las Vegas, reports the New York Daily News. The team considered optioning Tejada to the minors after a brutal spring training and the demotion debate has stirred again in recent days.

Tejada has struggled both offensively and defensively in 2013. He's batting .213 through 42 games and has made seven errors. He made all of 12 errors in 112 games last season.

If Tejada was demoted, then Omar Quintanilla would likely become the team's starting shortstop.