The Mets are ramping up a veteran outfielder for a potential roster addition before the regular season concludes.
Tyrone Taylor began a minor league rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Syracuse, going 1-for-4 as the starting center fielder.
Taylor has been on the injured list rehabbing a left hamstring strain since Aug. 30.
As it stands, the Mets have Cedric Mullins and Jose Siri as the main possibilities to play center field, but Taylor could join that mix before long.
Taylor, a defensive whiz, was surging offensively in August — he owned a .941 OPS for the month — before he was placed on the injured list. Overall, he has produced a .592 OPS this season.
Siri, who returned from the IL on Sept. 9 after missing 4 ½ months while rehabbing a fractured left tibia, was in Friday’s starting lineup against Nationals lefty Andrew Alvarez. It was a rough night for Siri, who had two misplays in the outfield in the Mets’ 12-6 victory over the Nationals and heard boos.
The offensively challenged Siri has produced a .292 OPS this season. Siri is 1-for-12 at the plate since his return from the IL.
Sean Manaea remains on paternity leave, but is expected to be ready for a Sunday pitching appearance against the Nationals — either as the starter or in a piggyback role.
The lefty Manaea allowed one earned run over five innings against the Padres in a piggyback role behind Clay Holmes. It was a step forward for Manaea, who has struggled since returning from the injured list in July.
“I feel really good with where Sean is at,” pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said. “Before it kind of made sense to me how the performance was kind of matching what we were seeing under the hood. I just feel really good about his work, his bullpens and where he’s getting the ball — getting it up in the zone a little more than he was previously.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t have further updates on Reed Garrett and Tylor Megill, both of whom are shut down for the season with elbow injuries. Both could be facing Tommy John surgery.
Francisco Lindor needs three homers to give the Mets three players with at least 30 in a season for the first time in franchise history. Juan Soto and Pete Alonso have already surpassed the mark.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
