LOS ANGELES (AP) -New York Mets second baseman Jose Valentin broke his right leg when he fouled off a pitch Friday night in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Valentin was forced to immediately leave the game and was diagnosed with a fractured right tibia. He was already playing despite a partially torn ligament in his right knee that has been supported by a heavy brace.
Ruben Gotay finished Valentin’s at-bat and grounded out to second before taking over defensively. Valentin was playing in his 29th game after missing 5 1/2 weeks following the knee injury.
He planned to put off surgery on his knee until after the season in part because of a $4.3 million team option for next year that would become guaranteed if he reached 400 plate appearances. It now appears unlikely he will hit the mark.
The switch-hitting Valentin is batting .240 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 51 games.
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