Paul Blackburn Injury: Opens season on IL

The Mets officially placed Blackburn (knee) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Blackburn opened the season on the shelf after experiencing right knee inflammation coming out of his final spring training appearance. He received an injection to alleviate the discomfort and is currently in the midst of a 7-to-10-day no-throw period. He's not expected to require much time to ramp up once the pain in his knee subsides, potentially putting Blackburn in line for a mid-to-late April return from the IL.