Former Tennessee baseball standout Drew Gilbert gets some tough news early in the 2024 season

Former Tennessee Vols baseball outfielder Drew Gilbert entered the 2024 season as one of the New York Mets' top prospects. 

Gilbert started the season at AAA Syracuse with the hope that he could reach the big leagues at some point in 2024. 

The former Vol could still reach that goal, but it'll be a bit more difficult for Gilbert due to an ill-timed injury. 

Gilbert was placed on the injured list on April 7 with a hamstring injury. 

On Monday, The Athletic's Tim Britton reported that Gilbert's hamstring injury is expected to keep him sidelined for another month. 

"Minor-league outfielder Drew Gilbert is expected to miss about four more weeks as he recovers from a hamstring strain," wrote Britton. 

That means Gilbert likely won't return to action until the end of May at the earliest. 

And anytime a player returns from a lengthy injury, it can take a little while to get going again. 

Gilbert is a player the Mets love, but he could have a tough time reaching the big leagues in 2024 due to the unfortunate timing of his hamstring injury. 

The former Vol started the season by going 6-for-25 with one home run before the injury.