New York Mets right-hander Noah 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.
The Mets said Syndergaard was removed “for precautionary reasons due to right elbow soreness.”
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.
Newsday reported that Syndergaard was scheduled to throw at least four innings on Tuesday and his pitches’ velocity dropped over the course of the inning.
He wound up allowing no hits or runs while striking out one and walking one.
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.
The Syndergaard news Tuesday came during New York ace Jacob deGrom’s first start back from a brief stint on the injured list as the Mets hosted the Colorado Rockies.
–Field Level Media