Now that David Wright figures to be out at least a month, manager Terry Collins said he intended to discuss options with general manager Sandy Alderson.
Moving Daniel Murphy to third is one option.
“I want to talk to Sandy about some of the ideas we’ve got and make sure he’s on board with it all,” Collins said, noting the transition for Murphy. “There’s some adjustments you got to make. Murph’s going to take some ground balls there today. He’s going to take some ground balls there [tomorrow]. I’ll talk to Sandy about a couple of other ideas I have and see where he sits on it all.”
One other possibility is Wilmer Flores entering in the mix at second. Flores was hitting .322 and playing some third base as well for Triple-A Las Vegas.
“Potentially he could for sure. He’s been playing a lot of second base. I’m going to certainly gather all the information before we make that move with him,” Collins said.
* The Mets went another day yesterday without their closer, as Bobby Parnell remained sidelined with muscle spasms in his neck. Parnell is scheduled to be re-examined today.
“I know he’s getting looked at again [today] so we’ll know something after,” said Collins.
Parnell, who last pitched July 30 when he earned his 22d save, has shown some improvement, but nothing significant.
“Not a lot. I mean, he feels better, but not enough to pitch him for sure today,” Collins said before the game.
* The two misadventures in right by Marlon Byrd were not the only sun-induced mishaps for the Mets. Murphy missed a pop at second in the second and was hit with an error. … The Royals slapped Gonzalez Germen for two sixth-inning runs. The Mets added a John Buck RBI hit in the eighth. … It was the first time since June 30 the Mets lost a game started by Zack Wheeler. … Wheeler fanned five and is the fourth pitcher in Mets history (Nolan Ryan, Dwight Gooden, Matt Harvey) with seven games of five strikeouts in his first nine career games. … Juan Lagares got his ninth outfield assist.
* With Buck anticipating his wife giving birth, the Mets have Mike Baxter and Andrew Brown as emergency catchers. Travis d’Arnaud is also a temporary possibility. … Jon Niese will make a rehab start at Double-A Binghamton tomorrow. … Collins said Mets are talking about moving Lucas Duda to a higher level. He’s currently hitting .292 (six games) at Class-A St. Lucie in the Florida State League.
* Kansas City made several roster moves. All-Star catcher Salvador Perez was placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list after getting hit in the 12th inning Saturday. Also pitcher Wade Davis was placed on the Family Medical Emergency List (out 3 to 7 days). The Royals called up catcher Brett Hayes and left-handed pitcher Will Smith from Omaha.