Former Cubs prospect Jared Young’s night ended in a frightening moment Thursday, when he was carted off the field after a collision at first base during the Mets-Phillies game.
The play started with an infield dribbler from Justin Crawford that landed in no man’s land between the mound and first base. Both Young and Nolan McLean charged in to try to make the play, and McLean ended up striking Young in the head at full force. The scene turned tense immediately, with Young lying motionless on the ground.
There was at least one encouraging sign before he left the field: Young gave a thumbs up as the medical cart carried him away, and later reporting confirmed he had feeling in his extremities. After the game, interim Mets manager Andy Green said Young was dealing with concussion symptoms.
Any head injury is serious, and this one clearly rattled the people watching. The Mets are hoping the situation stopped short of something worse.
Young’s path to this point has taken him far from his early days with the Cubs. Chicago drafted him in the later rounds of the 2017 MLB Draft, and he reached the majors with the club in 2022, picking up six hits in 22 plate appearances. He also appeared in 16 games in 2023 before going overseas in 2024 and then returning to the majors with the Mets last season.
This year, Young found a real opportunity after the Mets moved on from Pete Alonso last offseason, a decision that has been back in the spotlight over the past week. Young was making the most of the opening, hitting .266/.330/.429 with a wRC+ of 111 across 342 plate appearances. With the Mets still facing uncertainty after this season, he had started to look like part of their future.
For now, the focus is on recovery. A return within the next week seems unlikely, and if there isn’t any underlying issue, the expectation is that Young should be in position to help the Mets next season.
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