PORT ST. LUCIE — Ike Davis isn’t fretting over the possibility Valley Fever could destroy his season.
The Mets first baseman yesterday acknowledged he likely has the ailment, but said no symptoms have arisen to make him believe he’s at risk.
“The doctor said I can play — just don’t get really fatigued,” Davis said. “That’s what we’re doing. If I get kind of tired, I just step to the side and take a break.”
Last month, the club said Davis had a lung infection and was cleared for baseball activities, but never publicly acknowledged doctors believed he has Valley Fever — an ailment that cost Diamondbacks outfielder Conor Jackson most of the 2009 season.
Valley Fever’s symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing and weakness.
Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said the Mets didn’t make their suspicion of Valley Fever public because doctors still aren’t sure Davis has it. A recent blood test for the ailment was negative, but the Mets have been told it can become positive at a later date.
“The working diagnosis is Valley Fever, and there’s no medication,” Alderson said. “This is something that will resolve itself. We’ve gone from a general diagnosis to a more specific one, but it hasn’t resulted in any more dramatic consequences.”
Davis said he has been told it could take up to a year for the infection to disappear, if he indeed has Valley Fever. But he also isn’t certain when he might have contracted it.
“I don’t think I have an extreme case,” Davis said. “I feel great now, obviously, but if it gets really bad … I feel great now, and I don’t see anything in the future.”
Manager Terry Collins has been monitoring Davis for fatigue, but doesn’t envision needing to limit his playing time.
“He feels strong, but I just know that as the season wears on that fatigue starts to set in and we’ve got to get him off his feet and take a break,” Collins said. “He feels fine now. … As we go on a daily basis and he gets his rest, it’s going to get better.”