PHOENIX - Not four innings after he was appointed the interim third baseman Thursday, Daniel Murphy was pulled out of the Mets game against the Diamondback with what the team announced was “left quad tightness.”
In the top of the third inning, Murphy grounded out to shortstop for the first out. He did not seem to have any noticeable trouble running it out, but in the bottom of the inning Eric Campbell came out to play third in his place.
Thursday night was the first night that Terry Collins had decided to use Murphy as the contingency plan at third base while David Wright’s rehab from lower back pain caused by spinal stenosis continued to drag on.