PITTSBURGH _ With the Yoenis Cespedes saga over _ for now _ manager Mickey Callaway's news tidbits on Thursday afternoon at PNC Park were both more minor and positive.
Noah Syndergaard, Todd Frazier and Jeff McNeil were among those "in really good spots," as Callaway often likes to say.
Syndergaard _ getting over a case of hand, foot and mouth disease _ threw Thursday and remains in line to start Tuesday or Wednesday against the Nationals.
"He's doing really well," Callaway said. "Had a good workout today, threw out to 120 feet. No issues. He's in a really good spot."
Callaway expects Frazier, out for nearly three weeks with a ribcage muscle strain, to get into minor-league rehabilitation games in the next couple of days.
And then there's McNeil, who in Frazier's absence found his way into the lineup at third base Thursday against the Pirates, his first major-league start.
With the Mets facing a string of right-handed starters at least through the weekend, Callaway indicated McNeil is set for a handful of starts. Although Frazier is approaching a return, playing time would open up if and when the Mets trade second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera.
"He deserves it. With the way he performed this year in the minor leagues, he deserves a chance to come up here and see what he can do," Callaway said of McNeil. "He's in a really good spot with his confidence and we're going to get to see what he can do."
