NEW YORK – Mets shortstop Jose Reyes left Sunday's game against Atlanta because of stiffness in his left hamstring, the same spot that landed him on the disabled list last month.
New York infielder Daniel Murphy also came out of the game with a painful-looking leg injury. Murphy was spiked by Braves rookie Jose Constanza when he stole second base in the seventh inning.
Reyes, the NL batting leader, was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the second. It was unclear how he got hurt — possibly while running out a grounder in the first. He was scheduled for an MRI exam Sunday at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
The four-time All-Star missed more than two weeks in July because of a strained left hamstring, the latest in a long line of leg injuries for the speedy switch-hitter.
The 28-year-old Reyes has been one of baseball's best all-around players this year and he could be primed to cash in after the season, when he can become a free agent. Injury concerns are probably his biggest drawback.
Willie Harris batted for Reyes and drove in a run with a pop-fly single to shallow center. Harris stayed in the game to play second base while Justin Turner shifted from second to shortstop.
Turner dropped a throw from first baseman Nick Evans for an error later in the inning, though the Mets got out of the jam without allowing a run.
Reyes began the day leading the National League with a .337 batting average and 80 runs. He has 16 triples and 50 multihit games, both tops in the majors.
Murphy entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and drove in a run with an infield single, a dribbler up the third-base line. He remained in the game, replacing Harris at second base, but didn't last long.
Constanza's foot popped up off the bag when he slid hard into second and came down on Murphy's prone left leg, between his ankle and knee. The lower portion of Murphy's leg was driven awkwardly toward the ground, and he hobbled away immediately in pain.
Murphy stayed down in the outfield for a while before he was helped off the field. Constanza also was shaken up on the play, but remained in the game.
The injuries left the Mets without their two leading hitters and forced manager Terry Collins to get creative with his defensive alignments.
In the seventh, he moved outfielder Scott Hairston to second base. By the eighth, Hairston was back in right field and star third baseman David Wright was playing shortstop for the first time in his major league career.
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