Zack Wheeler gave the Mets enough in his return from the injured list. Now, will the Mets be offered enough to part with him?

In what may go down as the former prized prospect’s final start with the Mets, Wheeler showcased his potential value to a contender and did his best to quell concerns of his durability by opening with five dominant innings before fading in the sixth. It was enough for him to pick up the win in his first start back from a shoulder injury in the Mets’ 6-3 victory over the Pirates on Friday night at Citi Field.

Wheeler (7-6), who was limited to 73 pitches (54 strikes) over 5¹/₃ innings in his first outing since July 7, allowed three runs and six hits, while striking out seven, with no walks. With the July 31 trade deadline approaching, the 29-year-old, soon-to-be free agent could be dealt, as he was to the Mets eight years ago.

Last summer, trade rumors resulted in Wheeler remaining with the only major league team he ever has played for. Now, he isn’t sure what to expect.

“My guess is just as good as yours,” Wheeler said.

For Wheeler, the future has rarely been what it seemed, continually morphing since the Mets dealt aging, impending free agent Carlos Beltran to the Giants for Wheeler, the 2009 sixth-overall pick.

Wheeler was hyped, moving through the Mets’ minor league system until finally six scoreless innings in his highly anticipated 2013 major league debut. He was part of a young and thrilling rotation, making the Mets among the most envied teams in baseball. Then he was a forgotten arm, sidelined by Tommy John surgery, as the Mets made back-to-back postseasons. He was the latest phenom betrayed by his body until he became an elite starter, posting a 1.68 ERA in last season’s second half.

“I didn’t get to see him before, so I didn’t know much about him coming in, but I’ll tell you what, he’s been a heck of a pitcher for us, and I hope he continues to be,” second-year manager Mickey Callaway said. “A guy like him is hard to replace. It’s a tough decision for everybody because he is valuable to our team. He’s been here for a long time and he’s thrown some really good games for us.”

Any outing — any inning — changes the appearance of his future.

Wheeler can be untouchable; he reached 98 mph on his game-opening strikeout of Corey Dickerson. He can beg to be thrown into his first playoff rotation by using a bevy of breaking balls to mow down 12 straight Pirates. He can look like a replacement-level player, posting a 4.71 ERA this season, and allowing a career-worst 17 home runs. He can need relief, this time from Luis Avilan — and a barrage of homers by Jeff McNeil, Todd Frazier, Pete Alonso and Wilson Ramos — to keep him in line for the win. That was necessary after Wheeler surrendered a two-run homer to Adam Frazier and left a runner on base, with the Mets leading 4-3.

At that point, it finally sunk in for the right-hander that his eight years with the franchise may be ending, and he left the mound to a warm ovation from the Queens crowd.

“That’s the only time I really thought about it because I was concentrating on winning the ballgame,” Wheeler said. “Just when I was walking off the mound, I got nice applause, and I appreciate that from the fans.”

The fans were prepared for the goodbye. Wheeler wasn’t quite ready.

“Let’s talk about that if it happens,” said Wheeler, when asked to reflect on his time with the Mets. “You never know if it’s gonna happen.”