PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets would have liked to hear from Ike Davis about the oblique injury that affected him for most of last season.
A day after Davis told The Post he began experiencing oblique soreness in mid-May of last year – a fact that was unknown to Mets officials – the beleaguered first baseman met Monday with manager Terry Collins and general manager Sandy Alderson in an attempt to clear up the situation.
“As I look back now, everything would have been better off had he said something, and hopefully he’ll learn from it that he needs to speak up,” Collins said.
Davis’ oblique ultimately “popped” on Aug. 31 in Washington, ending his season. But Davis told The Post his discomfort reached a level in the weeks leading up to his demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas on June 10 that he considered asking for a disabled list stint to rest.
Davis never broached the subject because he said he didn’t want to be seen as inventing an injury or making an excuse for his anemic performance.
On Monday, Davis fumed to a Post reporter after seeing his comments in print from a day earlier. Davis said he believed the story portrayed him as using the oblique as an excuse for a 2013 season in which he hit .205 with nine homers and 33 RBIs.
Davis downplayed the injury on Monday.
“I sucked last year because I sucked – not because I had an injury,” Davis said. “You always have injuries and now it just looks bad.”
Collins indicated a conversation was needed between the player and manager last season when Davis began feeling discomfort.
“Guys deal with stuff in different ways,” Collins said. “Certainly, if you’re failing at what you are supposed to be doing, something needs to be addressed. And if you’re feeling it’s taking away from your game, you’ve got to say something.”