Piazza Could Be Out for ‘Significant’ Period

New York Met catcher Mike Piazza has a severe right groin strain and will spend a “significant” amount of time on the disabled list.

An MRI performed Saturday revealed the severity of the injury. Piazza hurt himself Friday trying to avoid a pitch from Jason Schmidt.

“He will miss a significant period of time,” Met assistant general manager Jim Duquette said. “There’s still some swelling in there so it’s hard to get an accurate reading.”

Piazza will remain with the team through today, then get reevaluated by doctors in New York on Monday or Tuesday. Saturday’s exam was performed by Giant team doctor Gary Fanton.

“He feels there’s no need for surgery,” Duquette said. “It’s not completely torn.”

Said Piazza: “It’s bizarre. I usually have pulls and strains but not to where I can’t move.”