NEW YORK – Yoenis Cespedes was back in the lineup Monday night for the New York Mets, who were still without double-play partners Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera for the first game of a pivotal series against Miami.
The team had hoped Cabrera or Walker — maybe even both — would be able to play.
"We did not know we were short until about 10 minutes ago," mansager Terry Collins said approximately three hours before the game.
Wilmer Flores started at second base in place of Walker, sidelined for the second consecutive day by a stiff back. Kelly Johnson was at third, with Jose Reyes sliding over to Cabrera's spot at shortstop.
Cabrera, the NL player of the week last week, exited Sunday's loss to Philadelphia in the first inning after aggravating a left knee injury that sidelined him twice earlier this year.
Cespedes sat out Sunday after his nagging right quadriceps flared up, but the slugger played left field and batted third Monday against Marlins ace Jose Fernandez in the opener of a four-game series.
With both teams chasing a wild-card berth, second-place Miami entered a game ahead of the Mets in the East.
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