Syndergaard, Carrasco could return to Mets sooner than expected
Noah Syndergaard of the Mets looks on from the dugout during a game against the Brewers at Citi Field on July 5. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Still waiting on front-of-the-rotation arms Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco to return from Tommy John surgery and a torn right hamstring, respectively, the Mets are considering bringing both players back before they are fully built up as starting pitchers.
That would basically mean them finishing their rehabilitation in the majors, pitching in games that count as the Mets make their postseason push.
Manager Luis Rojas revealed that about Carrasco last week. Acting general manager Zack Scott reiterated as much Wednesday and added that Syndergaard is in the same category.
"You kind of learn as you go," Scott said. "It’s nothing that we’ve decided on, it’s just something you’ve got to play by ear as you see how these guys progress."
Carrasco is expected back sooner, as early as late July. He performed fielding drills — throwing to bases, covering first on a grounder — for the first time in two months Monday afternoon at Citi Field. On Tuesday, he is scheduled to throw live batting practice, his first time facing batters since getting shut down on early May.
Scott said Carrasco will go on a minor-league rehab assignment after "one or two" live BP sessions.
Mets decision-makers have said they expect Syndergaard back in early September. He is still just playing catch and has not progressed to throwing off the mound.
Pitching plans
Among the possibilities to start for the Mets on Wednesday: righthander Robert Stock, who is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Syracuse that day.
"He is a strong option," Rojas said. "He’s the one guy on the roster who is stretched out and lined up for that day."
Rojas also mentioned righthander Nick Tropeano, a reliever who has started in the past and went to Stony Brook University.
Extra bases
Dellin Betances’ surgery Wednesday is to remove a Bennett lesion from his right shoulder . . . Jordan Yamamoto (right shoulder soreness) is still "weeks away," Scott said. "If we’re considering him as someone that could help us with starter depth, it’s probably late in the season." . . . The Mets haven’t decided whether to activate J.D. Davis (left hand sprain) this weekend or give him another week until post-All-Star break.
