As the Mets added more players (Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto) to the injured list Monday — making 12 total for the team — a beacon of light comes as some players start rehab assignments.
During a press conference before Monday’s game, manager Luis Rojas said Seth Lugo would start his in-game rehab Tuesday, and Noah Syndergaard will start Wednesday.
Both players will appear for the St. Lucie Mets at the beginning of their assignments.
Syndergaard is working his way back from Tommy John surgery in March 2020. The Mets have aimed for June as a return timetable for Syndergaard since the offseason. It seems with a rehab stint starting this week, the middle of June seems right on target.
Lugo, on the other hand, will likely be able to return sooner than that as he building up to be a multi-inning relief option — the best one on the team, in all likelihood — following elbow surgery.
However, he won’t be able to return to the Mets until May 31 after being placed on the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster for Johneshwy Fargas, who the team called up in place of Conforto. That timetable is fine, though, as Lugo likely would’ve taken at least a week and a half to two weeks to be able to pitch on multiple days and in multiple innings.
When Lugo and Syndergaard return in the coming weeks, it’ll provide much-needed reinforcements to a pitching staff that has carried the Mets to a 18-16 record so far while the offense has provided lackluster and inconsistent results.
J.D. Davis will start his rehab assignment with Syracuse on Tuesday, as well, though he will be able to return much quicker — within days — if his hand proves it’s healed.
