Aug 12, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (43) tips his cap as the New York Mets honor him with a video tribute before a game at Citi Field. This is his first game back at Citi Field since leaving the Mets in the offseason. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Noah Syndergaard still isn’t ready to face his former club.

For the second time this season, Syndergaard will avoid the Mets by having his start pushed back an extra day. Syndergaard was scheduled to face New York on Sunday but will slide to Monday to gain an extra day of rest. This same situation happened in Anaheim earlier this year.

Syndergaard was traded at the deadline from Anaheim to Philadelphia. He signed a one-year. $21 million contract in the fall after declining a qualifying offer from the Mets.

Syndergaard said he left New York for Anaheim because the lower-stress environment appealed to him. He also questioned how tough it would be to go through his velocity problems in New York.

“That energy that makes New York great can also bite you in the butt a little bit, especially with what I”m going through now,” Syndergaard said last week when the Phillies played the Mets. “I feel like if I was doing that playing here, everything would be highlighted. That was a big fear of mine.”

Syndergaard worked his way back from Tommy John surgery to make one last outing as a Met in September last season. He received a roaring ovation and after the game said he’s “fairly confident that we will reach an agreement and I’ll be pitching here next year.”

But that didn’t happen. Not as a Met, and not as a member of the opposing team.

In 18 starts between the Angels and Phillies, Syndergaard is 7-8 with a 3.95 ERA. He’s no longer the overpowering, strikeout maestro he once was with just 76 Ks in 98 innings.

Syndergaard joked when asked about the animosity toward his departure.

“It was only a one-year deal, it wasn’t like I signed 10 years with the Yankees. I just needed a little break. That’s it.”

Syndergaard was already scheduled to pitch on an extra day of rest for Sunday. Now he’ll get two and the little break seems more like avoidance.