The New York Mets shut down rehabbing pitcher Noah Syndergaard for six weeks with elbow inflammation.
Syndergaard, who is trying to return from Tommy John surgery, only lasted one inning in a rehab start with the low Class-A St. Lucie Mets on Tuesday due to elbow soreness.
Syndergaard underwent an MRI which revealed no structural damage, but August is now the earliest Syndergaard could return to the team.
“We pray that he can pitch for us this year,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said Thursday.
Syndergaard, 28, hasn’t appeared in a major league game since 2019. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020 and sat out the pandemic-shortened season to recover.
It was his second rehab outing for St. Lucie. On May 19, he threw four scoreless innings of one-hit ball, fanning five without issuing a walk.
Nicknamed “Thor” for his long blonde locks, Syndergaard has played five seasons for the Mets and compiled a 47-30 record with a 3.31 ERA. He was named an All-Star in 2016 and finished that season 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 218 strikeouts against just 43 walks in 183 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media