Paul Blackburn injury: Mets place SP on 15-day IL due to hand contusion

New York Mets starting pitcher Paul Blackburn has been placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 24 after suffering a bruised right hand, the team announced before Sunday afternoon's series finale against the San Diego Padres.

Blackburn took a line drive off his right hand in the third inning of Friday night's 7-0 loss as he tried to shield his head from a line drive by David Peralta.

An initial X-ray and CT scan ruled out a broken hand, but after attempting a catch on Saturday, the Mets got a better idea of ​​how severe the bruise was.

Reliever Huascar Brazoban, who was sent to Triple-A earlier this week, was recalled to take Blackburn's spot on the roster.

Blackburn was acquired by the Mets at the trade deadline from the Oakland Athletics, where he struggled with inconsistency. He allowed one earned run in each of his first two games with New York before being penalized for six runs by his former team on August 13. He rebounded against the Miami Marlins on August 18 with one run on four hits in six innings, but allowed four runs in 2.1 innings against the Padres on Friday before being pulled from the game. He ended up with five earned runs on 10 hits that night.

His departure puts even more pressure on a starting lineup that was already thin this summer. Kodai Senga is out for the rest of the season and Christian Scott is recovering from a UCL sprain, leaving Jose Quintana, Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and David Peterson as the team's only viable starters at the moment.

Jose Butto, who has performed well as a multi-inning relief pitcher over the past two months, could be called back into the rotation. Tylor Megill, currently in Triple-A, also remains an option as a spot starter over the next few weeks.

For more information on Paul Blackburn's injury and the Mets, visit AMNY.com