MLB

Getting worse for Ike Davis: Now he’s in a walking boot

PORT ST. LUCIE — Ike Davis showed up Monday with a walking boot on his right foot, an alarming development for the injury-prone first baseman — although Davis insisted his calf strain had not gotten more serious.

“It’s just to relieve stress,” Davis said. “I was hoping it would go away in a couple of days.”

Instead, the tightness he first felt in the weight room last week has forced Davis out for nearly a week, and he still doesn’t know when he’ll return to the field. Manager Terry Collins admitted to being concerned.

“A little bit,” Collins said after the Mets lost to the Marlins 11-1 at Tradition Field. “Number one, when he did it, he tried to play and thought it was something that was going to go away in two days, and here we are five days out and it’s still just not getting better.”

Davis had no explanation for why the calf was still bothering him.

“It’s the same thing: I’m in a walking boot and I’ve got no answers, period, of when I’m going to be back on the field,” Davis said.

Collins said he’d like that to be by the end of the week.

“I’m hoping by the weekend he can get in the batter’s box and get him in some minor league games,” Collins said. “And we’ll get him some DH [time] moving forward.”

It’s yet another issue Davis has had to deal with. A horrendous 2013 was followed by an offseason filled with trade speculation, some of it fueled publicly by the Mets. Then there was his 2012 battle with Valley fever.

Perhaps most concerning was the 2011 ankle injury that also landed Davis in a boot. After he collided with David Wright as they went after a popup in May, the resulting bone bruise was not considered serious. But after an initial misdiagnosis, Davis didn’t play again that season.

Now, Davis is waiting to get his spring going.

Collins had wanted Davis to get 100 at-bats this spring after last year’s disaster, a total the manager called a “pipe dream” Sunday.

Those expectations have changed.

“Hopefully I’ll come back and get at least two weeks of games in before the season starts,” Davis said. “I can still get a lot of at-bats. If I get two weeks, I can get 10 at-bats [a day] on the minor league side, so it’s not a big issue.”

General manager Sandy Alderson said he did not consider Davis’ injury to be particularly worse despite the development, but considering Lucas Duda also has been out, it’s hardly promising.

Duda said his left hamstring is getting better and after taking batting practice and running on Monday, added he could play again by Wednesday or Thursday.

“It’s obviously up to the trainer, but as soon as possible would be best,” Duda said.

No doubt Davis feels the same.

“It [stinks], obviously,” Davis said. “I want to play. But I could have gone out there and blown it out and dealt with more articles about not saying it was hurt.”

The Mets hope the cautious approach pays off and Davis has time to find his stroke in time for Opening Day.

“Hopefully, I can come back and get at least two weeks of games in before season starts,” Davis said. “I can still get lot of at-bats.”

And since ample plate appearances haven’t always resulted in good performance during the regular season, Davis chose to try to look on the bright side.

“I’ve gotten plenty of work before [and struggled],” Davis said. “This might help.”