Noah Syndergaard is headed back out on a rehab assignment.
The Mets right-hander will throw an inning for High-A Brooklyn on Thursday, his first outing since his initial rehab assignment from Tommy John surgery was cut short in May due to elbow discomfort.
Syndergaard is expected to return to the Mets as a reliever in order to expedite his availability, though it is not known how many rehab appearances he will need before he is deemed ready. Acting general manager Zack Scott said Tuesday the Mets could use Syndergaard as a multi-inning threat in September, hoping he can contribute to a playoff push.
A pending free agent, Syndergaard last pitched for the Mets in September 2019. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020 and went out for his first rehab assignment in May. But it ended after just two starts with Low-A St. Lucie.
Following a shutdown, Syndergaard began building back up and threw a pair of live bullpen sessions during the Mets’ recent road trip. He then threw a light side session Tuesday at Citi Field to prepare for Thursday’s outing.
A day after returning from the injured list for a strained oblique and skipping a rehab assignment, Francisco Lindor was out of the starting lineup for Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Giants. Manager Luis Rojas said before Tuesday’s game, in which Lindor went 0-for-4, that the Mets would ease him back in and take him day-by-day.
Rojas said Wednesday that Lindor “felt good” but was “a little bit fatigued” after playing nine innings for the first time since July 11. Lindor pinch-hit in the seventh inning and went 0-for-2, hearing boos after he popped up with runners at first and second with one out in the ninth inning.
“I’m sure he probably could have gone today,” Rojas said before the game. “[But] the performance [staff] felt it was smart to give him this day off.”
Lindor could be out of the lineup again later this week depending on how he feels, Rojas suggested, before the Mets turn the shortstop loose.
Catcher Tomas Nido (left thumb sprain) could come off the injured list by Friday, Rojas said. He is further ahead in his progression than James McCann (lower back spasms), who is still experiencing some tightness in his back but is starting to do “rotational movements.”
In the meantime, Patrick Mazeika started behind the plate Wednesday for the seventh time in the last eight games, with Chance Sisco as his backup.
Taijuan Walker went 2-for-2 with both hits coming from the left side — his first two hits batting left-handed this season. The natural right-handed hitter switched earlier in the season over injury concerns. … Pete Alonso extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games with a single in the first inning.
