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Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy has a strained intercostal muscle on his right side. Murphy was sent back to New York for observation and to receive an MRI after claiming that he had pain near the rib cage on his right side. The team has officially listed Murphy as day-to-day and he received a cortisone shot while being examined in New York.

Murphy is expected to be a big part of the Mets lineup in 2013. The outfield has been an area of concern for the Mets and without really any big-time veteran bats, Murphy will be looked upon to be a solid option. In 2012, he hit .291 with six home runs, while setting new career highs with 65 RBIs, 166 hits and 40 doubles.

Murphy was back in Mets camp on Wednesday morning. He didn't have a timetable for his return to regular workouts, but there is strong speculation that it's going to be at least seven to 10 days before he returned to baseball activities.

The one concern for the Mets is that both David Wright and Scott Hairston had similar injuries in 2012 and missed big amounts of time. Murphy, however, is confident that this will not be a recurring injury for him in 2013.

"The only thing I'm trying to think right now is I'd rather miss Spring Training time than miss time in the season," Murphy said.

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