Jason Bay’s disappointing tenure with the Mets took another downward turn this afternoon when he was placed on the disabled list with a fractured rib on his left side. This is a painful injury that could take a lot longer than two weeks to heal.

To take Bay’s spot on the roster the Mets brought up infielder Zach Lutz from Triple-A Buffalo, where he was hitting .333 with three homers and 10 RBI. Meanwhile, Andres Torres began a rehab assignment last night at Single-A St. Lucie.

Lutz could give the struggling Ike Davis some time off at first base.

Bay has been in a slump in his two-plus years with the Mets after signing from Boston. There is no telling how long he’ll be out, so it’s quite possible his third year could be a wash, too. What this injury also means is it could prevent Bay from getting 500 at-bats. If he gets that many at-bats this year and next it would trigger an option, something the Mets would rather not have happen.