Barring an unexpected setback, Noah Syndergaard will return to a major league mound Friday night — seven weeks to the day since he last threw a pitch for the Mets.
The right-hander, out since May 25, will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, and if all goes well, he will start against the Nationals at Citi Field, manager Mickey Callaway said on Tuesday before the Mets’ 7-3 loss to the Phillies.
Syndergaard, whose name has surfaced in trade rumors, made a rehabilitation start Sunday in Coney Island for Single-A Brooklyn and reported no problems with the strained ligament in his right index finger that shelved him for almost two months. He threw 71 pitches, 46 for strikes, struck out seven, allowed two hits and one earned run over five innings. His fastball was clocked at 98-99 mph and he used all of his pitches.
In 11 starts this year, Syndergaard is 4-1 with a 3.06 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 64 ²/₃ innings.
Asdrubal Cabrera (0-for-3) left the game following the sixth inning after aggravating a hyperextended left elbow that had been bothering him for a few weeks. Callaway said it’s more of an issue for Cabrera when he hits right-handed, but both expected him to play on Wednesday.
Jay Bruce suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from a hip strain on Sunday and will be shut down for another eight days before being reevaluated. He had begun baseball activities before feeling discomfort in the hip. Bruce, who was having his worst season as a major leaguer with just three home runs and a .613 OPS in 62 games, has been out since June 17.
There are no set plans yet for Jason Vargas after the southpaw threw six shutout, one-hit innings and struck out nine for Single-A Brooklyn on Monday. Vargas, out since June 19 with a strained right calf, may need another rehab start after throwing 64 pitches, Callaway said.
After going 0-for-6 in Monday’s doubleheader and in the midst of a 6-for-44 drought, Michael Conforto was given the night off. Callaway said he will be back in the lineup Wednesday. The manager doesn’t plan to give him an extended mental break before the All-Star break.
“You see him taking good swings at the ball and he’s fouling them straight back,” Callaway said. “It’s because he’s just a tad late. If we sat him for three days, that’s not going to help a timing issue. So we just have to get him out there consistently.”
Conforto appeared as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and drove in a run with a groundout.
To make room on the active roster for Gagnon, reliever Paul Sewald was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas. Righty Jacob Rhame, the 26th man in Monday’s doubleheader, was also returned to Las Vegas.
Callaway plans to give Brandon Nimmo a day off this week. Nimmo is in a 6-for-46 slump with 20 strikeouts after going 0-for-3 on Tuesday.
The matchup of Gagnon for the Mets against Enyel De Los Santos of the Phillies was the rare contest between two starters making their major league debuts.
The last time the Mets were involved in such a game was May 15, 2014, when Jacob deGrom faced Chase Whitley of the Yankees in the Subway Series. Gagnon was the seventh Mets pitcher to make his big league debut this year.
