Yoenis Cespedes exits Mets game with nausea and dizziness

The Mets have come a long way since the last time everyone was overtly concerned about a Cespedes health issue. In early August, Cespedes came back from a two-week absence due to a sore right quadricep, only to hit the 15-day DL not long after his return in order to fully recover. At that point, the Mets were plummeting and had the lowest team BA in baseball.

Now, they’re sitting on top of the NL wild-card picture after sweeping the Twins, proudly sporting only the third worst team BA in baseball (.242). With their chief post season competition, the Cardinals and Giants, being forced to play each other, it’s prime time for New York to gain some ground. After the floundering Twins, the Mets' soft schedule as they hit the season's home stretch has them facing the Braves starting tonight, then the fourth place Phillies and the misfiring Marlins.

However, once again, Cespedes left a game early. But now why you’d think.

According to manager Terry Collins, Cespedes "got sick in the runway," prompting his removal from the game. The presumption by the team is that this is not a long term health issue, as Collins reported Cespedes felt "a lot better" after the game. This is good news, as the all-star is hitting .342 against lefties this season with an 1.110 OPS (though he's only slashing .232/.286/.429 in September with 3 HR).

The leg injury of which people speak is responsible for not only stealing one of the Mets’ best hitters away from them, but also throwing off Cespedes’ timing at the plate and forcing him to be more cautious in general. He was warned not to participate too enthusiastically in a dog pile following a Mets walk-of win on August 29.