MONTREAL, April 21 (UPI) -- New York Mets first baseman Mo Vaughn was activated from the disabled list Sunday after missing 14 games with a broken bone in his hand.
Vaughn suffered the injury on April 4 when he was hit with a pitch by Pittsburgh Pirates lefthander Jimmy Anderson. He played the opener of a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves, then missed 14 straight games.
Acquired in the offseason from the Anaheim Angels for righthander Kevin Appier, Vaughn was disabled due to a small, non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal.
He was elibigle to be activated Sunday in the finale of a four-game series with the Montreal Expos and was in the starting lineup, batting third.
In Vaughn's absence, the Mets (10-8) used Mark Johnson and John Valentin at first base while going 9-6 in his absence to move atop the National League East.
While Vaughn is one of baseball's more prolific sluggers, he has been plagued by injuries in recent years. He missed the entire 2001 season after undergoing reconstructive surgery to repair a torn biceps.
Vaughn played through most of the 1996 season with a broken right index finger. A three-time All-Star and the 1995 American League Most Valuable Player with the Boston Red Sox, he has driven in 100 runs six times in his career.
Vaughn hit his 300th homer early this season.
