The flame-throwing righty woke up after his first Las Vegas 51s appearance with a pinched nerve, but he should be back by week's end.
Vic Black of the Las Vegas 51s has been placed on the disabled list after experiencing pain from a pinched nerve in his neck. Black threw last Thursday night for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, walking two and striking out two in one inning of work. The pinched nerve didn't affect Black's appearance, as it didn't manifest until the next morning.
While he has been placed on the disabled list, Black was throwing without pain two days after he reported problems. It is expected that he will be activated sometime later this week.
The hard-throwing right-hander was expected to make the Mets' bullpen coming out of spring training, but a poor Grapefruit League performance led to his demotion. Black logged a 5.79 ERA in Florida, allowing 13 hits and walking 10 batters in 9⅓ innings of work. With all of the hand-wringing regarding the Mets' bullpen early in the season, Black could be an antidote, but concerns about a timing mechanism in his pitching motion and attendant control problems will need to be addressed first.
Thankfully, it appears that at least the pinched nerve is not a big concern.