Apr 25th 2008 6:00AM by Mullet
Yes, it sounds like a strange injury … even something that isn’t so serious. But an infection can turn into something serious, painful, and at the very least, really annoying. But an infected thumb was serious enough to send Mets catcher Brian Schneider to the hospital in hopes that he can get it cleared up and avoid a DL stint. The good news is that if this is taken care of, Schneider will probably be able to play this weekend against Atlanta.

Schneider had just recovered from a forearm bruise which kept him out of the lineup for three games before coming back on Wednesday against the Nationals. But after flying back to New York on Thursday, the Mets needed a back-up catcher as they only had Raul Casanova on the roster to catch that game. Gustavo Molina will join the club Friday to give the Mets two catchers.

This basically means that the Mets have gone from Schneider and Ramon Castro (who’s been out since day one with a strained hamstring), to Casanova and Molina. Considering that Schneider has shockingly been one of the club’s best hitters, and not so shockingly very good in handling the Mets’ staff, a disabled list trip would be a huge blow to Schneider and the Mets. Could the return of the recently retired Sandy Alomar Jr. be far behind?

And how much trouble are the Mets in if that’s the next option?