After going 4-3 on their brutal West Coast trip, the Mets head to Chicago for a three-game set with the White Sox.
Chicago has the worst record in MLB but the Mets won’t take them lightly and hope to take care of business as they look to catch the Braves, Padres and Diamondbacks in the Wild Card standings. Before the pivotal series opener on Friday, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to the media and gave updates on a few of his injured pitchers.
Christian Scott throwing off a mound
The young right-hander continues to progress and had a bullpen Thursday where he threw fastballs and changeups off a mound for the first time. Although this is a great development for Scott, Mendoza says they are going to wait 2-3 days until he gets back on a mound to throw all his pitches.
When asked if he expects Scott to contribute to the team this season, Mendoza said he does but the expectation is Scott won’t be built up pitch-count-wise. That likely means if Scott returns he won’t be a part of the rotation but we’ll have to wait and see.
Kodai Senga throwing from 90 feet
Although Senga is likely done for the regular season after suffering a calf injury in late July, the Mets ace continues to “progress well,” according to Mendoza.
The Mets skipper says Senga is playing catch like “normal” and is throwing up to 90 feet and calls it a “good sign.”
There have been reports that the Mets feel Senga could return for the final week of the season — he’s not eligible to return until Sept. 25, after all — but while the odds seem long this is a positive development.
Dedniel Nunez may not need an MRI
Another positive update comes from Nunez who Mendoza says is on his way to New York after hitching a ride to Chicago with the team from Arizona.
Once thought to need an MRI to see if there’s damage to the elbow, Mendoza is now saying the organization hasn’t decided if the young right-hander needs it just yet.
“Ligaments in a good spot,” Mendoza said. “They worked really hard on the forearm yesterday and see how he responds.”
Nunez said after Thursday’s win that he feels less pain and discomfort in his throwing arm than when he had a pronator strain earlier this year that shelved him for a month.
The plan is to let Nunez rest for 2-3 days after the trainers worked on his arm and if he doesn’t feel any pain then it can be a “quick ramp-up.”
Nunez was placed on the IL retroactive to Aug. 26 so he would not be available to return until Sept. 10.
Source Agencies
