New York Mets acting General Manager Zack Scott met with reporters at Citi Field prior to Tuesday night’s series-opening matchup with the San Francisco Giants.
Scott was asked about a number of different topics varying from where Noah Syndergaard stands as he works his way back from injury, Jacob deGrom’s status in his current shutdown period, and the return of both Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez to the Mets lineup.
Overall, it’s surprisingly looking like more and more good news on the injury front for the Mets.
This afternoon Noah Syndergaard threw a touch and feel at Citi Field to go through his mechanics. After meeting with the team’s performance staff, it is expected that the big right-hander could begin a rehab assignment as early as this week.
This comes just a few days after Syndergaard threw a pair of live bullpen sessions last week in San Francisco.
The right-hander was shut down from throwing for six weeks after he felt soreness in his right elbow during his second rehab start in late May. With the okay from the team, he appears ready to kick things up again.
Scott said the Mets will take the rehab assignment as it goes, but Syndergaard is still expected to pitch out of the bullpen when he returns to the big league team.
As far as Jacob deGrom, Scott said the Mets’ ace is expected to go for his second MRI on Wednesday. If all goes well and they see continued improvement, the expectation would be for him to begin a throwing program soon.
deGrom, of course, has been dealing with injuries all season long. He missed several starts in May due to right side tightness, and then dealt with right flexor tendinitis in June. He skipped the All-Star Game and landed on the IL on July 18 with tightness in his right forearm.
deGrom started throwing again, but was ultimately shut down after another MRI revealed additional inflammation in his right elbow. He was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room for Heath Hembree on the roster last week.
The earliest deGrom could now return to the team is September 13. Scott said like Syndergaard, the team will take things day by day, but if all goes well he’d expect deGrom to return not too long after that.
Scott was also asked about the highly anticipated debut of the Mets’ deadly double-play duo of Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez. Scott said that it’ll be great to get both guys back in there tonight.
“They’re both good players who have had good careers. They bring a lot of energy, they’re both very good defenders and very good baserunners. They bring a lot to the table and can impact the game in a lot of ways,” Scott said.
Lindor is batting third and playing shortstop in his return, and Baez is batting cleanup and playing second base. If the Mets have any hopes of getting back into the playoff race, they’ll need the middle infielders to play like the superstars they are.
