Johan Santana to Undergo MRI on Back

The New York Mets have been maintaining for a while now that ace left hander Johan Santana is healthy. Earlier Monday, the club confirmed that Santana would make his next scheduled start, though he would be limited to 100 pitches. Now, it appears that start is in jeopardy.

Santana, who tossed the first no-hitter in Mets franchise history back on June 1, has struggled mightily since making history. It took him a career-high 134 pitches to complete his gem, but was it too much, too soon on a pitcher that missed most of the past two seasons with injuries? If Santana has been pitching in even a small amount of discomfort, he could wind up compensating and risking further injury.

In his last five starts, Santana has worked a total of just 19 innings while allowing an amazing 43 hits and 33 runs. Eight of those 43 hits have left the yard. In that time, his ERA has risen from a sparkling 2.76 to just a shade under five at 4.85.

According to Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog, despite the scheduled MRI, Santana remains on track to pitch Thursday.

For more on the Mets, head over to Rising Apple.

John Parent is the Senior Director of Human Resources for the FanSided Network. He can be reached at john.parent@fansided.com or via Twitter @JohnJParent.