Winker was officially placed on the injured list ahead of Monday’s contest against the Diamondbacks and will likely be sidelined until mid-to-late June. The 31-year-old’s absence creates a void at DH against right-handed pitching. There’s an opportunity for youngsters Luisangel Acuña and Brett Baty to get increased opportunities in the coming weeks.

Winker’s absence frees up some additional at-bats at DH for the overabundance of talent on New York’s roster. The 31-year-old veteran suffered the oblique strain during Sunday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals and is facing a multi-week absence. No word yet on the severity of the strain, which will determine how much time he misses.

Winker suffered the injury to his side while making a throw to home plate in the fourth inning during the Mets’ first game against the Cardinals on Sunday. No word yet on the MRI results, but it sounds like the 31-year-old slugger is going to miss a couple of weeks at a minimum.

Winker played in left field for the first time on Sunday afternoon and wound up injuring his side while making a throw to the plate in the fourth inning. It sounds like he’ll miss the nightcap at a minimum and depending on what the imaging shows, a trip to the injured list could be in order as well. Stay tuned.