MILWAUKEE -- The roots of AJ Ramos' struggles -- eight baserunners allowed in his past three outings, spanning 1 2/3 innings -- may be medical in nature. The team on Sunday sent Ramos back to New York for an examination of his right shoulder. A stint on the disabled list could follow, pending the outcome of an MRI.
"Obviously he was struggling to throw the ball where he wanted to," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. "I think that's the first sign that something was going on. We were wondering if that may be the case."
Ramos previously experienced shoulder discomfort during Spring Training, Callaway said, but the manager chalked it up more to the general soreness every pitcher feels that time of year. Ramos did not alert the Mets to anything else amiss until after Saturday's game, in which he allowed three runs on three hits and a walk, retiring just two batters.
Ramos, who came into Sunday tied for the MLB lead with 28 appearances, owns a 6.41 ERA, including an 11.74 mark since May 8.
"I'm putting in the work -- working out, treatment, all that stuff -- to succeed on the field, and it's just not translating right now," Ramos said after Saturday's 17-6 loss to the Brewers. "And that's the way the game is. You can either keep going forward or cower down. I've never been a coward, so give me what you got."
Roster move
After taxing their bullpen Saturday, the Mets shored things up before Sunday's game, recalling P.J. Conlon from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioning Chris Flexen. The Mets also scheduled relievers Hansel Robles and Gerson Bautista to meet them Monday in Atlanta, where the club may or may not activate them.
Conlon started one game earlier this season in Cincinnati, allowing three runs in 3 2/3 innings. He could potentially serve as a long man behind Seth Lugo or Robert Gsellman in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader; the Mets don't intend to announce their pitching plans for that game until after Game 1.
Robles has been on the disabled list since May 9 due to a sprained right knee. Either he or Bautista, a rookie, could serve as the Mets' 26th man for Monday's doubleheader. The Mets could also activate both of them if Ramos goes on the DL.

"We just have to make sure we're protected, pitching-wise," assistant general manager John Ricco said.
Flexen returns to Vegas after enduring the brunt of the Brewers' offense on Saturday, allowing seven runs -- four earned -- in two relief innings.
Rehab updates
• Also scheduled to join the Mets in Atlanta is catcher Kevin Plawecki, who could return from the DL as soon as Monday. Plawecki has been sidelined since April 11 due to a fractured bone in his left hand. Upon his return, Callaway said, Plawecki will start roughly one out of every three games behind the plate.
• Third baseman Todd Frazier, out since May 8 due to a strained left hamstring, flew to Las Vegas to continue working out. Frazier will not begin a rehab assignment for a few days, but because he is close to doing so, the Mets wanted him to get away from the rainy weather forecasts in Atlanta and Florida.
• Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is "a little bit behind Frazier" in his rehab from a strained right hip flexor, according to Ricco, and will remain with the team for now.
• Reliever Anthony Swarzak will also begin a rehab assignment this week, though the Mets have not determined where. Swarzak has been out since March 31 due to a strained left oblique.