Paul Blackburn may be able to start for the Mets next time after his hand injury

SAN DIEGO – Paul Blackburn's hand was sore, but overall the Mets right-hander was happy with his situation on Saturday.

A CT scan of the hand was negative, confirming the team's original diagnosis of a contusion after Blackburn was hit by a line drive the night before and had to leave his start against the Padres in the third inning.

Blackburn said it's possible he'll make his next scheduled appearance in the rotation, but it depends on how he feels after Sunday's throw.

“We're in a situation where we need weapons,” Blackburn said before the Mets beat the Padres 7-1 at Petco Park on Saturday.

If Blackburn needs a few extra days, one of the things the Mets could discuss is reconfiguring the rotation after Monday's off day.

As it stands, Blackburn's next appearance is scheduled for Thursday in Arizona.

Huascar Brazoban, who had been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse a day earlier, had remained with the team and would have been recalled Saturday if Blackburn had been placed on the injured list.

If Blackburn is determined to be unable to pitch — either in his next outing or later on the road — the Mets would likely turn to Tylor Megill at that point. Megill struggled in two appearances with the Mets this season, posting a 5.17 ERA in 10 appearances for the team.

The Mets' rotation depth is thin, with Kodai Senga (calf) and Christian Scott (elbow) on the injured list.

“The good thing is, we have good news [on Blackburn]”But we have to wait until Sunday to see if he's going to be able to pick up a baseball and go out and play catch,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Then we'll have a better idea.”

Blackburn was hit by a 100 mph line drive from David Peralta's bat and protected his head with his arm during the play.

“I'm just glad he wasn't hit in the head or face because that was pretty scary,” Mendoza said. “And then it was 100 [mph]and watch him [Friday] It was pretty swollen at night. We just had to wait and see, and it's good news, so we definitely dodged a bullet.”

Blackburn allowed five earned runs on 10 hits in 2 ¹/₃ innings. It was his second bad start in the last three. The Mets had signed the right-hander from Oakland at the trade deadline.