Noah Syndergaard’s road back from Tommy John surgery has hit a snag.
The Mets right-hander was removed from his rehab start Tuesday night after one inning with “right elbow soreness,” the team said. The Mets added that Syndergaard’s removal was for “precautionary reasons,” though more details about his status were not immediately available.
Syndergaard was making the second start of his rehab assignment with Low-A St. Lucie, 14 months removed from the elbow surgery to repair a torn UCL. The Mets had targeted a mid-June return to the big leagues for Syndergaard, but that could be in jeopardy after Tuesday’s abbreviated start.
In his first rehab start last Wednesday, Syndergaard threw four shutout innings with five strikeouts on 44 pitches. Tuesday, he was scheduled to throw another four innings, but threw just 16 pitches in his only inning, walking one and striking out one against the Daytona Tortugas.
If Syndergaard’s progression had gone according to plan, he was scheduled to throw two five-inning starts after Tuesday, then two six-inning starts before he joined the Mets, manager Luis Rojas had said on Sunday.
Last Wednesday, Syndergaard sat at 93-95 mph with his fastball, a scout in attendance told The Post’s Mike Puma.
“His delivery looked under control,” the scout said after Syndergaard’s first start. “He used all his pitches, good job. I am not concerned about the velocity, it will come back.”
The Mets were looking forward to Syndergaard’s arrival as a midseason reinforcement, especially as their rotation has already been beat up by injuries. Jacob deGrom (right-side tightness) returned Tuesday night after a brief stint on the injured list, but Taijuan Walker (left-side tightness) and Carlos Carrasco (hamstring strain) are still shelved. Marcus Stroman and David Peterson are the only Mets starters to have not gone on the IL this season.
While Walker is trending towards being back soon, Carrasco could be out until late June or early July, acting general manager Zack Scott said Monday. Like Syndergaard, Carrasco has yet to pitch for the Mets this season after sustaining his injury in spring training.
The Mets entered the season with solid pitching depth while they awaited Syndergaard’s return, but it has quickly been tested. Joey Lucchesi has been inconsistent in four starts while Jordan Yamamoto, who was called up from Triple-A Syracuse to make a spot start on Sunday against the Marlins, went on the injured list Tuesday with right shoulder soreness.
Syndergaard, who was one of 16 Mets on the injured list as of Tuesday afternoon, is in the final year of his contract. The 28-year-old last started for the Mets on Sept. 29, 2019. The following spring training, he experienced discomfort in his elbow before a torn UCL was revealed. He underwent Tommy John surgery on March 26, 2020.
Recoveries from Tommy John surgery typically range from 12-18 months, depending on the pitcher. Yankees right-hander Luis Severino (February 2020) and Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale (March 2020) are two notable pitchers also working their way back from Tommy John surgery. Neither has started a rehab assignment, with Severno still pitching live batting practice and Sale still just throwing bullpen sessions.
