MILWAUKEE — A banged-up Mets bullpen lost another component Saturday when Luis Avilan was placed on the injured list with a sore elbow.

Avilan, who walked off the mound in discomfort in Friday’s eighth inning after getting two outs, will return to New York and receive further evaluation, according to manager Mickey Callaway.

The veteran lefty joined Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson among relievers on the IL. Chris Flexen was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take Avilan’s roster spot.

Flexen entered play with an 8.59 ERA in 19 career appearances for the Mets. He entered Saturday night’s game in Milwaukee in the 17th inning with men on first and second and no outs and worked out of the jam. The Mets took the lead in the top of the 18th, but Flexen coughed it up, giving up three walks then the one-out game-winning two-run single to Ryan Braun in a 4-3 defeat, raising his ERA to 11.12.

“He had a great start his last start [for Syracuse] and the last time he was up here we saw pretty good stuff coming out of the arm, 95 [mph], 96, and had a really good slider,” Callaway said before the game. “We feel at this point he can come up here and probably give us the best innings.”

Jed Lowrie played his first rehab game for Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday after getting relocated from Single-A St. Lucie. He went 0-for-4. Lowrie has been rehabbing from a sprained left knee since early in spring training.

Wilson threw live batting practice and will be reevaluated Sunday, according to Callaway, but the lefty reliever likely won’t need a rehab assignment. Wilson is returning from elbow discomfort.

Jeff McNeil entered play ranking fourth in the NL with a .421 batting average against left-handers. McNeil’s .522 on-base percentage against lefties ranked second in the NL.