David Wright makes spring training debut on Friday; Jacob deGrom to pitch Thursday
New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard, center, is greeted by teammates in the dugout after leaving the field during the fourth inning of an exhibition spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Jupiter, Fla. Credit: AP / Brynn Anderson
JUPITER, Fla. — David Wright and Jacob deGrom should be playing in Grapefruit League games for the Mets later this week.
Manager Terry Collins announced on Tuesday that Wright will make his spring training debut on Friday against the Nationals.
Meanwhile, deGrom will pitch on Thursday against the Marlins. His start was originally scheduled for Monday, but it was bumped back because of back stiffness.
Wright faced live pitching on Tuesday. After a team off day on Wednesday, Wright is scheduled to get more at-bats in a minor-league game on Thursday in preparation for his spring debut.
The Mets have eased Wright into game action this spring in an effort to manage his back condition, spinal stenosis.
Long Island’s Steven Matz is also scheduled to pitch on Thursday.
Cespedes misses trip
Yoenis Cespedes skipped Tuesday’s 8-6 victory over the Marlins with what Collins called hip stiffness. But Collins said he wasn’t concerned about the issue since Cespedes has been playing through the condition.
Tuneup for Syndergaard
Noah Syndergaard used his start against the Marlins to make the kind of adjustments he may face during the regular season.
In 3 2⁄3 innings, Syndergaard allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits. But until a fourth-inning adjustment, the righthander said he struggled to get his mechanics in order. As a result, he had trouble throwing his breaking pitches for strikes.
“If it’s the regular season, you can’t be wasting three innings finding breaking pitches,” Syndergaard said. “But I was very pleased with how I made an adjustment out there.”
Step forward for Wheeler
Zack Wheeler took another forward step in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
For the first time since going under the knife nearly a year ago, Wheeler threw off the top of the pitcher’s mound. Previously, he had been throwing off the front of the slope.
