NEW YORK -- The Mets honored late icon Rusty Staub on Saturday, and they will continue to throughout the season, with a patch on the right sleeve of their uniforms. The patch features Staub's autograph in orange against a black background.
The Mets also hung a Staub No. 10 jersey in their home dugout for Saturday's game against the Cardinals.
Staub, who passed away Thursday at age 73, played for the Mets from 1972-75, and again from 1981-85. A key figure in the Mets' 1973 World Series run and the franchise's all-time leader in pinch-hits, Staub was perhaps best known for his humanitarian work, including the establishment of the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund.
Vargas progresses
Left-hander Jason Vargas, who opened the season on the disabled list after undergoing surgery to remove a broken bone from his glove hand, is scheduled to throw a simulated game Monday at Citi Field -- his most intensive work yet since surgery.
Vargas has yet to get the stitches removed from his hand, however, and he does not expect to ramp up to a regular-season workload in the simulated game. As such, it appears likely he will miss at least two rotation turns, with Seth Lugo filling in Tuesday against the Phillies and potentially April 9 as well.
The Mets have not determined if Vargas must make a Minor League rehab assignment before he returns, or if he can progress straight from simulated games to the active roster.