New York Mets first baseman Jared Young had a collision with starter Nolan McLean, and he's still healing.
New York Mets first baseman Jared Young saw his season end due to a genuinely terrifying injury, and he’s doing his best to move on, saying the concussion he sustained after a collision with pitcher Nolan McLean are now “part of the story.”
It’s not a baseball story, though. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com did a followup piece on the injury that happened on Sept. 17, and Young said he literally doesn’t remember anything after his second at-bat against the Texas Rangers.
The injury happened on a ground ball from Justin Crawford that both Young and McLean pursued. Young doesn’t remember McLean’s knee slamming into his head, nor does he remember going out as he was knocked unconscious. He compared the experience to waking up from a nap and winding up the hospital with no idea how he’d gotten there.
Young is now at his home in Phoenix recovering, and per DiComo he’s stretching, practicing yoga and going for walks. Screen time became intolerable for a few days after the injury, so the first baseman would save the small amount he could tolerate for evenings so he could watch the Mets play.
Young also noted how quickly baseball “can turn into life,” as his plans changed from wanting to win a game and hit a home run to just wanting to get home. He’s resting in between appointments with specialists, and he’s starting to form new memories, but Young still doesn’t remember the hours after the collision, according to the writer.
The first baseman called it a “super strage, scary night,” but he also noted that it was more scary for the other people involved. That led to him talking to McLean when he returned to the stadium in Texas to retrieve his car to assure the pitcher that he was okay.
The prognosis for Young is good, as he should be recovered soon enough to have a normal offseason. But the 31-year old is also dealing with the reality of his situation, even though he had a good hear as he hit .266 with nine home runs and a .759 OPS.
Young has had an up and down career, with this season with the Mets being his best extended stretch. But it may not be enough to earn him the regular job, despite the praise he garnered from David Stearns during the GM’s final press conference. The concussion is now part of the season he had, but it shouldn’t overshadow his other achievements on the field, and Young should at least get a chance to win a job.
