Piazza Injured.
ATLANTA -- New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza broke a bone in his left big toe Friday night and will be out at least a week.
Piazza was injured when he fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning. He finished the at-bat, hitting a flyball for an out, but left the game in the bottom half.
"It's a shame to be dealt a setback," Piazza said. "I don't plan to be Superman. I'll just wait and see."
Piazza will be out 7-to-10 days and likely need a few more days before he is able to catch, Mets assistant general manager Jim Duquette said.
"It's a hairline fracture ... of the bone at the end of the big toe, underneath the nail," Duquette said.
Piazza is batting .269 with 20 home runs and 45 RBI.
For now, New York has no plans to put Piazza on the disabled list. The team hopes he will be healthy enough to serve as the designated hitter for a three-game interleague series against the Yankees next weekend.
"It's a big toe with a little crack," manager Bobby Valentine said. "We'll try to make it through a couple of games like we do when he gets the day off."
The team will be forced to make a move since Todd Pratt is the only other catcher on the 25-man roster. A catcher will be called up from the minors before Saturday's game against the Braves.
Duquette said it's too early to say if Piazza would be able to play in the July 10 All-Star game at Seattle.
"It's pretty painful," Piazza said. "Let's wait and see. I'll have to ice it. If it feels good and I feel I can play, I'll play."
Piazza, who had a lead of more than 800,000 votes over Florida's Charles Johnson in the latest balloting, is a virtual shoo-in to be elected as a starter.
Piazza did not play in last year's All-Star game, having been hit in the helmet by Roger Clemens' fastball three days earlier.
The Mets have been concerned in recent years that Piazza takes too much of a beating behind the plate, and ultimately would like to move him to first base.
"It's definitely a big blow," pitcher Steve Trachsel said. "Mike's a powerhouse. We've had injuries all year. It's something we've been dealing with and hopefully we can deal with it again."
[ 07-03-2001: Message edited by: imoverherenow ]
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