Opening Day kicks off for the 2013 MLB season Monday, with one of the games scheduled for play being the San Diego Padres visiting the New York Mets at 1:10 p.m. ET.
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Via ESPN:
Chase Headley, the biggest bat on the Padres and last season's NL RBI leader, is sidelined for a few weeks with a broken thumb.
Johan Santana's future is far more precarious.
After re-tearing the anterior capsule in his pitching shoulder, the one-time Mets ace is scheduled for another surgery Tuesday that he hopes can save his career.
So the opening day assignment goes to Jonathon Niese, suddenly thrust into the role of No. 1 starter for a team that traded Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey during the offseason.
"It's Jon Niese's turn. He's now that guy," manager Terry Collins said Sunday at Citi Field.
Born on the day the Mets won the 1986 World Series, Niese established career bests across the board last season when he went 13-9 with a 3.40 ERA in 190 1/3 innings.
The fast-working lefty will face a Padres lineup also minus promising young catcher Yasmani Grandal, suspended for the first 50 games after testing positive for testosterone. Left fielder Carlos Quentin should be ready to go, though, after he was slowed this spring with discomfort in his surgically repaired right knee. Top prospect Jedd Gyorko takes over at second base.
Niese said this spring he won't try to "fill anyone's shoes." But he acknowledged Sunday that he'll probably be a little anxious on opening day.
New York announced the decision to go with Niese on March 21 -- the same day David Wright was appointed team captain -- after Santana stalled at spring training.
"It's kind of sunk in now," Niese said. "I'm not going to treat it as an opening day. I'm going to treat it as a midseason start. I'm going to prepare the same and just be ready for it. I don't think we really have an ace on this staff. I think everybody contributes equally."
