Five days later, Mark Canha finally made his home debut as a Met. The outfielder is OK after a COVID-19 scare that “shocked” him.
Canha, who said he is vaccinated and boosted, tested positive Friday for the first time ahead of what was supposed to be his welcome to Citi Field.
Instead, he was stuck at home with what he termed as a minor cold and watching the Mets go 4-1 without his bat in the lineup.
“It almost felt like I couldn’t get it, just because in baseball you’re in the locker rooms and stuff and I didn’t have any problems before,” said Canha, who tested positive along with Brandon Nimmo.
Both have been cleared, Nimmo returning a day earlier. Canha was thrust immediately into the lineup and went 1-for-4 with an RBI single after being stuck at home for five days.
“It’s difficult, I’m not going to lie,” Canha said after the 5-2 loss to the Giants. “I was trying to just rest most of the time when I’m at home and doing some push-ups and sit-ups and whatever, core work and all that stuff. But it’s not the same as a baseball game.
“It felt like a little bit, the first half of that game I was shaking off the rust.”
The Mets activated righty Jake Reed (oblique) from the 10-day injured list and optioned the reliever to Triple-A Syracuse. They designated infielder Matt Reynolds for assignment. Reynolds had been called up and added to the roster when Canha and Nimmo were added to the COVID injured list.
Taijuan Walker, who has been on the 10-day IL with bursitis in his right shoulder since he left his April 11 start early, threw three innings and 45 pitches in an extended spring training game Wednesday in Jupiter, Fla.
Walker will meet the team in Phoenix, where the Mets will fly for a series against the Diamondbacks, which will begin Friday. The club will decide when he will rejoin the rotation. David Peterson has filled in for Walker and pitched 4 ¹/₃ scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Luis Guillorme is barely recognizable, having ditched the full, bushy beard that has made him easy to find. He hopes his at-bats will become barely recognizable, too. The Mets infielder began this series 0-for-12 in six games, so he took a razor to his face.
“I said, ‘Screw it,’ ” Guillorme said. “Just going to take it off and start over.”
The early returns were promising. Guillorme laid down a nice sacrifice bunt in the first game of the doubleheader Tuesday, then knocked his first single of the season in the second game. He went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, a walk and a run scored on Wednesday.
“It worked,” Guillorme said with a smile.
The old beard did not treat him kindly enough, but he won’t be clean-shaven for long. His cheeks will be adorned with hair as soon as it grows, even if he keeps hitting without the beard.
“I’m not shaving again,” Guillorme said. “This thing’s just going to keep going again. I’m starting over.”