Noah Syndergaard’s second opinion confirms strained ligament in finger
Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets looks on during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citi Field on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in the Queens borough of New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
ATLANTA — Noah Syndergaard’s second opinion Tuesday confirmed the first: He has a strained ligament in his right index finger.
Syndergaard will rest until he is symptom-free, then start a throwing program, Mets manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday. As is the case with Yoenis Cespedes [strained right hip flexor], there is no real timeline for him to return.
An injury that the Mets initially hoped would keep Syndergaard out just one start — then just two starts with him returning to pitch against the Yankees — is going on three weeks. Syndergaard last pitched May 25, and Callaway said he likely will need a rehab start before returning to the majors.
For now, Syndergaard is still sore.
“It’s tender to the touch,” Callaway said. “Once all that subsides, we can start a throwing progression.”
Righthander Seth Lugo will remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future, including Friday night against the Diamondbacks.
The second opinion did offer Syndergaard some peace of mind that there wasn’t anything else wrong.
“Any time a guy gets a second opinion, that’s probably the case,” Callaway said. “It’s not like they don’t trust the doctor that gave them the first bit of information, but it’s just to reconfirm the hard news that they’re getting. Because it’s not fun to get that kind of news. So they want to have it reiterated by somebody else.”
Mets add Beck
The Mets claimed Chris Beck, a righthanded reliever, off waivers from the White Sox. Beck will join the team for its series against the Diamondbacks. The Mets did not announce a corresponding move to make room on the 25-man roster.
Beck, 27, had a 4.18 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 14 games for the White Sox this year. In parts of four years in the majors, those numbers are 5.94 and 1.71.
“We need to put ourselves as an organization in the best [position] to get as many quality players as we can,” Callaway said. “I’ve seen [as Cleveland’s pitching coach] this Chris Beck kid pitch quite a lot. He’s got some electric stuff. He probably hasn’t figured it out to the point that he’d like to yet, but he’s an interesting guy for sure.”
Extra bases
Jay Bruce is expected to sit out Thursday with soreness in his “upper butt/top of the hip,” he said. It’s different than the back tightness he felt a couple of weeks ago . . . Late Wednesday night, the Mets altered their rotation for the Arizona series, switching the lefthanders’ order. It’ll be Jason Vargas Thursday and Steven Matz Saturday. The team didn’t give a reason for the change. Lugo still is set for Friday’s start with Zack Wheeler going Sunday.
Jose Bautista’s one-inning stint at second base Wednesday was his sixth career appearance at the position, the first since 2008 . . . Callaway said his 12- and 9-year-old daughters started crying Tuesday when he was ejected, his first time as manager. “They didn’t understand why Daddy was yelling at somebody,” he said . . . Consider it a quirk of the schedule that Wednesday was the Mets’ last game in Atlanta for 2018. They played consecutive road series at SunTrust Park, at the end of May and this week.
