Mets

New York Mets Injury Report

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For the first time in years, the New York Mets are going to get through April without being riddled with injuries.

Anthony Swarzak (shoulder and oblique) suffered a setback during his rehab and is still several weeks away from returning to the team. He suffered the oblique injury during the second game of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals. The bullpen has missed Swarzak over the last couple weeks and hopefully he returns to the team by the middle of May.

Catchers Catch the Injury Bug

Kevin Plawecki (broken hand) will be out for at least two more weeks. He suffered the injury after getting hit in the hand with a fastball in Miami against the Marlins. Plawecki may not be Mike Piazza but the team is desperately missing his bat. He hopes to return in mid May as well and he will undoubtedly be the everyday catcher for the Mets.

Travis d’Arnaud (elbow) underwent Tommy John Surgery to reconstruct his right elbow. He is done for 2018 and hopes to return for the beginning of 2019. This explains why his throwing was horrible but his absence at the plate has caught up to the team quickly. The replacements of Tomas Nido and Jose Lobaton has combined to hit 6-for-47 this season and the Mets are not looking anywhere else for help.

David Wright (shoulder and back) was moved to the 60-day DL to make room on their 40-man roster. The captain is still a long shot to return this season and even playing in the big leagues again may never happen again.

T.J. Rivera (elbow) still has not resumed throwing and there is no timetable for his return. He has become a forgotten man as he continues to recover from Tommy John Surgery.

Rafael Montero (elbow) also underwent Tommy John Surgery and will remain out for the entire 2018 season. He will be inactive for a while and will not throw a baseball for a long time.

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Jose Lobaton

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After starting the season off the New York Mets 40-man roster, Jose Lobaton was called into action with the injuries to Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki.

Lobaton’s journey to the big leagues began at the age of 17 when he signed with the San Diego Padres. After seven years bouncing around the minor leagues, he finally made his debut in 2009 with the Padres. The Tampa Bay Rays claimed him off waiver 17 at-bats and had three hits with the Padres. Lobaton’s career involved him bouncing around from team to team as most backup catchers do in their career.

He played the rest of the 2009 and 2010 seasons in the Rays minor league system. Lobaton returned to the big leagues in 2011, but still struggled to find success with the bat. He only hit .118 in 2011 and showed his defense would be what kept him in the big leagues. He had an above average 30 percent caught stealing rate in his small sample size.

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Lobaton’s Career in Tampa

2012 was Lobaton’s first real season of earning a job at the big league level where he played in 69 games from the end of May. Lobaton hit .222 and had an impressive .323 on base percentage. He played 100 games for the only time of his in 2013 and hit .249 with a career high seven home runs. Lobaton also drilled a walkoff home run in the ALDS against Boston Red Sox closer Koji Uehara.

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In the offseason the Rays traded Lobaton along with Felipe Rivero and Drew Vettleson to Washington Nationals for Nathan Karns. Lobaton found a nice home in Washington where he spent four years as the team’s backup catcher. He only hit .210 and played in 200 games over his four season in Washington.

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The Mets signed Lobaton to a minor league deal before Spring Training and was expected to spend a majority of the year in Triple-A. After the Mets lost Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki for an extended period of time, he was called up to assume the everyday catcher role. The Mets have thought about acquiring another catcher but he seems to be the one who will have the job for now.

New York Mets Series Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (4/24-4/26)

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Zack Wheeler

Coming off back to back series losses, the New York Mets will fly to St. Louis for an Opening Day rematch against the Cardinals. The Cardinals are currently tied for first place with the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. They come off a series sweep against the lackluster Cincinnati Reds. The Mets come off a series loss against the Atlanta Braves where their bullpen struggled in the series.

Probable Pitching Matchups

(4/24, 8:15 PM) Zack Wheeler (1-1, 2.77) vs. Luke Weaver (2-1, 4.22)

(4/25, 8:15 PM) Steven Matz (1-1, 4.42) vs. TBD

(4/26, 1:15 PM) Noah Syndergaard (2-0, 3.29) vs. TBD

The Mets have cooled off after their red hot start but still hold a half game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. Over the last week their bullpen has let the team down. It blew a five run lead against the Washington Nationals and a three run lead against the Braves. These two days off were much needed for the Mets because they had three pitchers in the top 20 in games pitched. Manager Mickey Callaway has not been afraid to pull starters early and bring in multiple pitchers in an inning.

The Dark Knight in the Bullpen

After his struggles to start the season, the Mets have moved Matt Harvey to the bullpen where he hopes to find his stuff again. Harvey was “pissed off” about the move but the Mets are a contending team this year and they have the depth to easily replace him in the rotation. The Mets will look for Harvey to regain the swagger and stuff that made him a Cy Young caliber pitcher before the injuries took its toll.

The Cardinals are a team built on power bats which is why they are tied for second in baseball with 30 home runs. Paul DeJong and Yadier Molina have combined for 13 home runs to lead the way for the team. Carlos Martinez has bounced back from his rough first start to lead the Cardinals with a 1.42 ERA. Bud Norris has also been a pleasant surprise at the back end of the bullpen, going 5-for-5 in save opportunities.

The injury bug has kept out two of the team’s biggest contributors out of the lineup. Adam Wainwright made three starts after being injured for his first scheduled start, but landed on the 10-day DL with right elbow inflammation. Tommy Pham is questionable for the series with a groin injury he suffered a few days ago. He was their best player last season so the Cards will want him back when he feels 100 percent.

Matchups to Look Out For

The Cardinals are still figuring out who will pitch the last two games of the series. If they pitch Carlos Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes will be happy to be in the lineup. He has hit .333 (5-15) with a home run against the Dominican born right hander. Marcell Ozuna has also put up strong numbers against Steven Matz in his career. He has hit .308 (4-13) and has always been very good against lefties in his career.

If the struggling Jay Bruce has to face Michael Wacha, the Mets may want to keep him out of the lineup. Bruce has hit a miserable .032 (1-31) with 13 strikeouts against Wacha, who has completely owned this matchup. Jedd Gyorko has not found any success against Zack Wheeler, who has held him to a .111 (1-9) average with five strikeouts.

Interesting Stats

Yadier Molina has always been a Met killer and help up his reputation with a home run off Syndergaard. He has hit .322 (91-283) over his lengthy career, facing good and bad Mets pitching. Over his career Zack Wheeler has pitched to a 3.06 ERA on the road, compared to a 4.88 ERA at home.

New York Mets Series Preview: Atlanta Braves (4/19-4/22)

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After their first series loss of 2018, the New York Mets will head to Suntrust Park to take on the Atlanta Braves. In 2017, the Mets won the season series 12-7 and will have to do the same with the Braves within an arm’s distance of first place. This year’s Braves team features a lot of young and new players to go along with Freddie Freeman and Julio Teheran.

Probable Pitching Matchups:

(4/19 7:35 PM) Matt Harvey (0-1, 4.80) vs. Anibal Sanchez (1-0, 1.29)

(4/20, 7:35 PM) Noah Syndergaard (2-0, 2.95) vs. Sean Newcomb (1-1, 4.02)

(4/21, 7:10 PM) Jacob deGrom (2-0, 3.24) vs. Julio Teheran (1-1, 5.40)

(4/22, 1:35 PM) Zack Wheeler (1-1, 2.77) vs. TBA

The Mets sit in first place after what has been a surprising start for most people. What can be a cause for concern is Manager Mickey Callaway has used more relievers in a 16 game span than any manager has before. His move to pull Jacob deGrom with 103 pitches in the eight sparked a comeback for the Nationals, which eventually won them the game. deGrom and Syndergaard are the only two pitchers that can consistently go deep into games and hopefully Callaway will trust his aces more.

The Braves have a very respectable 10-7 record to start the season. The Braves lineup has a real nice punch to it this season, lead by upstarts Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies. The acquisition of Preston Tucker has worked out so far this season as he leads the team with 13 RBIs. Mike Foltynewicz has started to come into his own and Anibal Sanchez has started the season strong with a 1.29 ERA in three games. This team is certainly on its way up after years of losing seasons.

Matt Harvey struggled his last two times out after a dominant first start of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies. With Jason Vargas on his way back, there is no guarantee that Harvey will keep his spot upon his return. The end of Spring Training does not mean pitchers stop earning their turn in the rotation. If a pitcher struggles, there will be someone who is ready to replace him.

Julio Teheran had a rough season in 2017 and still has not rebounded this year. He struggled in his first start against the Nationals, allowing six runs, but put together two quality starts after. The biggest concern is that Teheran has not walked less three batters in any of those starts. His strikeout numbers are good but the walks hurt how deep he can go for the Braves.

Matchups to Lookout For

In a small sample size, Asdrubal Cabrera has hit .556 (5-9) against Sean Newcomb and a lot had to do with the strong 2017 he had batting right handed. In another small sample size matchup, Nick Markakis has hit .333 (3-9) against Noah Syndergaard. All the hits have been singles means Syndergaard has done a good job of not allowing Markakis to drive the ball.

Todd Frazier has struggled against Anibal Sanchez, hitting a measly .063 (1-16) against the veteran right hander. Throughout Matt Harvey’s many phases of his career, his dominance of Freddie Freeman has remained consistent. Freeman is hitting .192 (5-26) against Harvey, but all of his hits have gone for extra bases.

Interesting Stats

Zack Wheeler has had a lot of success in his career when he has face the Braves. He is 4-2 with a 2.94 in 49 innings against Atlanta. In a larger sample size, Julio Teheran has dominated the Mets since he broke into the big leagues. In 122 innings he has a 2.58 ERA with one shutout against the Mets.

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Jacob deGrom

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Since his New York Mets debut, Jacob deGrom has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. He has come into 2018 with a brand new look but his stuff is still Cy Young caliber.

The Mets drafted deGrom in the 9th round of the 2010 MLB Draft from Stetson University. Unfortunately, like many of the Mets starters he underwent Tommy John Surgery and missed the entire 2011 season. After a few seasons in the minors following the surgery he earned the call-up to the big leagues.

deGrom and Rafael Montero were called up in 2014 to debut in consecutive games. deGrom stole the spotlight from Montero putting up a 9-6 record with a 2.69 ERA, which earned him Rookie of the Year honors.

deGrom’s First All-Star Game

He lived up to his high expectations in 2015, which was his first full season in the big leagues. deGrom earned his first All-Star selection, finished fourth in ERA (2.54) and finished seventh in Cy Young Voting. deGrom also picked up three wins in the postseason, including two in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His 2016 ended abruptly after 24 starts and a 3.04 ERA. He missed all of September due to injury. He underwent surgery on an ulnar nerve in his elbow to fix numbness in his fingers .

2017 was deGrom’s worst year, but statistically it is a terrific year for most pitchers. He went 15-10, pitched 200 innings for the first time in his career and had a 3.53 ERA. deGrom finished tied for eighth in Cy Young voting.

The expectations have been set high for deGrom again and he has been one of the key reasons why the Mets have started the season hot. He has four different pitches that he can strikeout anyone with and one of the best fastballs in baseball. If he has a typical Jacob deGrom year he will be in the running for a Cy Young award.

He has a 3.06 ERA with two wins in the small sample size of 17.2 innings. It will be an exciting 2018 season if deGrom remains healthy and dominates the NL.

 

 

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Zack Wheeler

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Zack Wheeler

The former top prospect of the New York Mets, Zack Wheeler, is back in the big leagues. He was the only piece missing out of the Mets dream rotation of their coveted pitching prospects.

The San Francisco Giants drafted Wheeler in the 1st round of the 2009 MLB Draft. The Giants traded Wheeler to the Mets for Carlos Beltran after spending a year and a half in the Giants minor league system. After another strong year and a half he earned a call-up to the big leagues.

He looked like the real deal in his rookie season going 7-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 100 innings pitched. 2014 was Wheeler’s first full year in the big leagues and he settled in during his sophomore season. He made 32 starts, pitched 185.1 innings and struck out 187 hitters (10th in the NL).

Injuries Catching Up to Wheeler

Unfortunately, during Spring Training in 2015 Wheeler found out he needed to undergo Tommy John Surgery. Wheeler missed the entire 2015 season and effectively lost the rotation spot he once had locked up. The Mets almost dealt him to the Milwaukee Brewers for Carlos Gomez at the 2015 trade deadline. Luckily for the Mets, the deal never went through.

Wheeler missed all of the 2016 season as well because of the surgery and other injuries. He was not able to get fully healthy and the Mets decided to shut him down for the entire year and continue to rehab in 2017.

In 2017, he finally returned to action but was plagued by injuries and the inability to go deep into games. After starting the year strong, he faltered to add to what was a very disappointing 2017 season. He only pitched 86.1 innings and put up a career high 5.21 ERA. Wheeler also walked 40 batters in those 86.1 innings.

Surprising Spring Training Outcome

He had high hopes going into this years Spring Training but was inconsistent throughout. Even with Jason Vargas getting injured many assumed he would take the place of Vargas to create the Mets dream rotation but Seth Lugo out pitched him and earned the spot. Luckily, he has returned to the big leagues and delivered a great start in his first outing back.

Wheeler does add to the very deep pitching staff the Mets have and when he is healthy he is a very dominant pitcher. In his age-28 season the time is running out for Wheeler and with younger and cheaper options in the Mets organization his time with the Mets could be limited. He rounds out the Mets dream rotation and hopefully he can find consistent success.

New York Mets Series Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (4/13-4/15)

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New York Mets, New York Yankees, Steven Matz

The red-hot New York Mets return home looking to add on to their terrific 10-1 start. They welcome in the Milwaukee Brewers (7-6), who sit in third place in the National League Central. The Brewers have one of the better outfields in baseball that includes Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Ryan Braun and Domingo Santana. Milwaukee hopes to win the division for the first time in their franchise’s history.

Probable Pitching Matchups

(4/13, 7:10 PM) Zach Davies (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Steven Matz (0-1, 3.00 ERA)

(4/14, 7:10 PM) Chase Anderson (0-1, 3.38 ERA) vs. Matt Harvey (0-0 3.60 ERA)

(4/15, 1:10 PM) Jhoulys Chacin (0-1, 6.59 ERA) vs. Noah Syndergaard (2-0, 3.94 ERA)

The Mets currently are one of the best teams in baseball and have won eight straight games. They already have six comeback victories, which leads baseball. Manager Mickey Callaway has looked like a genius through these first 11 games and every player is doing their part to contribute to the team’s early success.

The Brewers have a dangerous lineup which is headed by the big bat of Eric Thames. Just like last season, Thames has come out hot out of the gate with five home runs. With the loss of Jimmy Nelson for most of the season the team will be relying on Davies and Anderson to lead their rotation. The Brewers have already had a tough schedule that has started with 10 of their first 13 games against the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

Closerless Brewers

After All-Star closer Corey Knebel went down with a hamstring the bullpen needed a new stopper for the end of their games. Josh Hader, Jacob Barnes and Matt Albers have been relied on heavily in Knebel’s absence. Hader has only pitched 7.2 innings but has 17 strikeouts in his limited work.

Friday will start the second turn around the rotation for the Mets “dream rotation”. On the first time around it led to a perfect 5-0 record. Now these core group of pitchers will showcase their talents at home for the first time. They have been good but they certainly can be even more dominant.

Matchups to Lookout For

Over his career Adrian Gonzalez has hit 8-22 with a home run against Jhoulys Chacin. Christian Yelich has a career .298 batting average against right handed pitching an that is exactly what the Mets will feature in the final two games of the series.

Jay Bruce has only hit 1-14 against Chase Anderson in his career. Callaway might shake up the lineup again for Saturday’s matchup. In a small sample size, Ryan Braun is only 1-6 against Noah Syndergaard and with Braun on the decline, Thor should win the matchup once again.

Interesting Stats

Yoenis Cespedes has hit .388 with four home runs in his career against the Milwaukee Brewers. Hopefully this allows him to breakout of his slump. Eric Thames has only hit .206 against power pitchers, so do not look for him to have too much success when he faces Syndergaard on Sunday.

New York Mets Series Preview: Miami Marlins (4/9-4/11)

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New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard

The New York Mets make their first trip to South Beach to take on the Miami Marlins. The Mets look to make it four straight series wins to start their 2018 season. Owner Derek Jeter traded away their stars in the offseason. Many of their players trying to earn a big league job. The Marlins already find themselves in last place in the National League East and it does not look like than will change any time soon.

Probable Pitching Matchups

(4/9, 7:10 PM) Noah Syndergaard (1-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. Jose Urena (0-1, 4.91 ERA)

(4/10, 7:10 PM) Jacob deGrom (2-0, 1.54 ERA) vs. Caleb Smith (0-1, 4.32 ERA)

(4/11, 7:10 PM) Zack Wheeler (Season Debut) vs. Jarlin Garcia (0-0, 1.80 ERA)

The Mets have surprised many by their strong start that has earned them first place in the NL East. Their ability to comeback, strong pitching and clutch hitting was something missing in the 2017 Mets. Manager Mickey Callaway has seemed to push all the right buttons in his first few games as Mets manager.

The Marlins bring in a roster full of under the radar players with Starlin Castro being the star of the team. Third baseman Brian Anderson has had a strong start to the season, hitting .281 with a .410 on base percentage. Pitching will be their biggest issue this season but Jarlin Garcia and his 1.80 ERA is giving hope to what looks to be a mediocre rotation.

New Owner, New Players

Last year the Marlins won 12 of the 19 meetings against the Mets but it will not surprise anyone if the Mets win a majority of this year’s matchups. Manager Don Mattingly certainly has his work cut out for him this year but his job looks to be secure with Derek Jeter as the owner. Young prospects Lewis Brinson, Dillon Peters and Braxton Lee have struggled to start the season but the organization is banking on them for their future success.

The Mets are searching for a starter to pitch the final game of the series. It was sahping up to be Seth Lugo as Jason Vargas is still recovering from his hand injury. But, the Mets will opt to bring up Zack Wheeler and keep Lugo in the bullpen.

Matchups to Watch For

Wilmer Flores hit .291 with 7 home runs against left handed pitching last season. Expect him to get a lot of playing time in this series with the Marlins pitching two lefties. Michael Conforto is a career .179 hitter against left handed pitching. Those statistics combined with not pushing him too much in his return from the shoulder injury will likely keep him out of the lineup.

In his career, Starlin Castro hits .301 when facing a pitcher for the third time. If Syndergaard and deGrom has to face Castro late in the ballgame, they might be pulled with Callaway’s bullpen philosophy. The Mets have done a great job of working the count this year and in his career batters hit .388 against Urena in 1-0 counts. He is known to lose the strike zone in the past and this can be a recipe for disaster against the Mets.

Interesting Stats

Yoenis Cespedes only hit .185 in Marlins Park in 2017 after hitting .296 the year before. On the other hand, Cameron Maybin has hit .338 in his career at Marlins Park. It is an encouraging sign for a player who is looking to rebound this season.

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Jason Vargas

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The journeyman veteran Jason Vargas is one of the many veterans the New York Mets signed this past offseason. He starts the year on disabled list but his return is coming soon.

The Florida Marlins drafter Vargas in the 2nd round of the 2004 MLB Draft. Vargas skyrocketed through the minor leagues and was called up in 2005. Vargas had a solid 13 starts and put up a 4.03 ERA, but struggled mightily in the 2006 campaign. In 43 innings he had a 7.33 ERA and had more walks than strikeouts.

First Year as a Met

After 2006, the Marlins traded Vargas to the Mets with pitchers Adam Bostick for pitchers Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens. Vargas only made two starts in his first stint with the Mets and they were dreadful. He pitched 10.1 innings, allowed 14 runs and 4 home runs. After the season he had a bone spur removed from his elbow in October, followed by surgery for a torn labrum in his left hip.

The Mets packaged Vargas with six other players sent to the Seattle Mariners in a three-team trade between them and Cleveland Indians. He spent the entire 2008 season recovering from his injuries. Vargas made his Mariner debut in 2009 and pitched to a 4.91 ERA, splitting time in the bullpen and rotation.

He earned a rotation spot in rotation in 2010 and made 31 starts with a 3.78 ERA. Vargas built off that year in 2011 by pitching over 200 innings for the first time in his career. His 2012 season was his best with the Mariners. He had career highs with 217.1 innings, 14 wins and 141 strikeouts.

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The Los Angeles Angels acquired Vargas for Kendrys Morales after the 2012 season. Unfortunately, he missed almost two months with a blood clot in his armpit but still made 24 starts and pitched to a 4.02 ERA. Vargas signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Kansas City Royals in the 2013 offseason.

Vargas Finds a Home with the Royals

He proved to be a reliable starter for the Royals and had 11 wins with a 3.71 ERA. The injuries started to hit Vargas in 2015 and it limited him to only 43 innings which resulted in Tommy John Surgery. He only made three starts in 2016 but bounced back in 2017. Vargas pitched to a 4.16 ERA, won 18 games and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. Vargas had a 2.62 ERA in the first half but it ballooned to 6.38 in the second half.

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He inked a two-year and $16 million deal with an $8 million option for a third year. He broke his hand on a comebacker in Spring Training but should be ready to go in a week or two. Vargas will likely replace Seth Lugo in the starting rotation when he returns.

Vargas offers a veteran presence the Mets missed when Bartolo Colon left. He will take the ball every five days and gives his team a chance to win most of the time he goes on the mound. He is one of the few classic left handed pitchers in the game who uses all of his pitches and relies on contact to get batters out. Vargas has a fastball (87-90 mph), curveball (74-77 mph) mph, cutter (83-86 mph) and changeup (80-82 mph).

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New York Mets Injury Report

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Three games into the season and the New York Mets already have their first injury in the regular season.

The Mets scratched Brandon Nimmo (flu) from Sunday’s lineup because of his flu like symptoms. Juan Lagares got the start and some rest/medicine should take care of the sickness. This is not the worst injury but it qualifies since it kept him from being in the lineup.

The Latest Mets Injury

Anthony Swarzak (oblique) suffered the injury Saturday and was evaluated on Sunday. On Monday he underwent more test and an MRI. It is a little surprising the Mets have not put Swarzak on the 10-day disabled list so they do not have to play with 24 players. The 10-day DL was created so teams did not have to lose a player for two weeks if they did not need to. Once the MRI results comeback, the Mets will likely make their decision then.

Michael Conforto (shoulder) is moving ahead of schedule from his injury and could be activated on Thursday. Conforto faced Jason Vargas in a simulated game Monday will start to workout with the team this week. The Mets start their first series with Washington Nationals Thursday and with minor league spring training over, he will likely join the team at that point.

The aforementioned Jason Vargas (right hand) threw a bullpen session over the weekend and pitched in a simulated game Monday. He still is not able to catch with his glove hand yet which does not allow the team to give a set date for his return. Vargas is still building up his stamina as well, so a mid-April return should be in the works for the veteran left-hander.

Dominic Smith (quad) started the season on the 10-day DL and headed to Las Vegas to start the season at Triple-A. The road back to the big leagues for Smith has grown longer since Spring Training started. Hopefully, he can right himself because the Mets have high hopes in him.

Rafael Montero (right elbow), David Wright (back and shoulder) and T.J. Rivera (right elbow) all remain on the shelf and currently have no timetable to return. There has been no further news on their recoveries.