After being hammered for four homers in the third inning on Thursday night, Steve Trachsel was crushed by Bobby Valentine’s words. The manager said Trachsel didn’t follow the game plan and this was unacceptable.

So with every Met gone after the 15-3 embarrassment Thursday, Valentine and GM Steve Phillips sat down with Trachsel in the manager’s office and explained the options.

Mets management wanted Trachsel either to go down to Triple-A to revert back into a major-league pitcher or he was headed to the bullpen.

“I was pretty shocked,” Trachsel said.

Trachsel (1-6, 8.24 ERA) was brought in to replace Fresno Bobby Jones as the Mets’ No. 5 starter. Now, he is going to try to do a Fresno Jones.

Trachsel will join Triple-A Norfolk today and make at most four starts before returning to the Mets. Rookie Dicky Gonzalez will start in his place.

Last season, in what came to be known as the Norfolk Miracle Cure, Jones went to Triple-A with a 1-3 record and a 10.19 ERA. Upon his return, Jones was 10-3 with a 3.69 ERA and then almost threw a perfect game in the NLDS.

This left some wanting Jones to return as a Met. But since he wanted three years and $21 million, the Mets decided to sign Trachsel at two years and $7 million. Both Jones and Trachsel left after eight starts.

“They have a precedent and we decided this can work,” said Trachsel, who as a veteran could’ve declined the move.

In Trachsel’s place will be Gonzalez. Valentine’s praised the 22-year-old rookie for his presence. He is 1-1 with a 6.61 ERA.

“He’s very good,” Valentine said of Gonzalez, who is a control pitcher.

Neither Valentine nor Phillips termed the 30-year-old Trachsel’s demotion a punishment. They are just looking for a cure for the righty, who owns more losses (39) than any other pitcher since the beginning of ’99.

“He needs to be as right so he can be to pitch in this league,” Valentine said.

Trachsel wisely figured that if he didn’t go to Norfolk, he would be relegated to long relief, meaning he would only appear in blowouts and things wouldn’t have any substantial chance of improving.