Damion Easley was taken out, and Jose Valentin is coming in.

Easley was scratched from the Mets lineup yesterday, complaining of a sore right knee that has prompted an appointment to have an MRI exam today. Luckily for the Mets, Valentin is all but certain to be activated tonight after rehabbing a partially torn ACL in his right knee.

“When I saw the doc before the game, he suggested I should probably get one,” Easley said after a 4-2 loss to Philly. “So here I am.”

Valentin played his third straight rehab game last night for Class-A St. Lucie, and it’s likely he’ll return for tonight’s series finale versus Philadelphia. He played four innings in the field and went 0-for-2.

“The odds of him being back with us tomorrow are looking good,” Met GM Omar Minaya said yesterday afternoon.

Easley said his knee has bothered him since a May 26 game in Florida, although he couldn’t pinpoint how or where he got hurt.