Mets first baseman Lucas Duda develops side-muscle strain

Duda likely sustained the injury through overwork during the team's spring training, according to manager Terry Collins.

New York Mets first baseman Lucas Duda has sustained a muscle strain on his left side, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

Mets manager Terry Collins suggested that the 29-year-old had sustained the injury by overworking the muscle. Collins added that Duda had been working out at the team's spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla., for at least a month.

Duda has been held out of batting practice since the strain first appeared two weeks ago, but will continue to take part in fielding drills while the muscle heals. The Mets' fifth-year infielder would take up hitting again in "two or three days," after which "everything is going to be fine," said Collins.

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Duda himself was not overly concerned with the issue. "I didn't take too much time off in the offseason," he said. "I don't foresee it being a big issue."

Duda appeared in 153 games last season, hitting .253 with 30 home runs, 92 RBI and a .349 on-base percentage. He is a career .248 hitter with 74 home runs.

The Mets finished last season with a 79-83 record and in third place in the NL East. New York opens the 2015 season on the road against the Washington Nationals on April 6.

- Christopher Woody