ATLANTA — Noah Syndergaard was back in uniform pitching on Wednesday, repping the St. Lucie Mets, in a significant step toward his anticipated return to the rotation.
Syndergaard made a rehab start for Low-A St. Lucie and faced an opposing team for the first time since his Tommy John surgery 14 months ago in March 2020. He threw four scoreless innings, recorded five strikeouts and gave up one hit across 44 pitches and 36 strikes.
He sat around 93-95 mph with his fastball, according to multiple reports.
Syndergaard is still on track to come off the injured list and join the big league club in June. The right-hander is expected to return ahead of Carlos Carrasco (right hamstring strain) who is traveling with the Mets on their three-city road trip but was recently shut down from throwing or ramping up.
The Mets rotation will need the boost Syndergaard will provide with Jacob deGrom on the IL with right side tightness and the uncertainty of Taijuan Walker’s next outing after he left his Monday night start in Atlanta with nagging left side tightness. The Mets have been without a fifth starter since Carrasco began the season on the IL.
