CINCINNATI -- Sidelined since April due to a torn right lat muscle, Noah Syndergaard will edge closer to a return when he begins a rehab assignment Saturday for the Class A Advanced Gulf Coast League Mets.
Syndergaard, who threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Wednesday in Port St. Lucie, Fla., is scheduled to throw one inning in a game. That puts him on a similar progression to Matt Harvey, who needed four Minor League rehab starts before returning to the Majors. If Syndergaard also makes four tune-up starts, he could return in time to pitch two or three times for the Mets down the stretch.
Prior to going on the disabled list, Syndergaard was 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA in five April starts. A preseason National League Cy Young Award candidate, Syndergaard said recently that he plans to place increased emphasis on flexibility training this winter, hoping to avoid serious muscle pulls in the future.
Worth noting
• Harvey is scheduled to throw 80 pitches when he comes off the disabled list Saturday in Houston. He will be making his first start since the Mets shut him down with a stress injury to his right shoulder in mid-June.
• Outfielder Michael Conforto received a second opinion Tuesday on his torn left shoulder capsule, but the Mets have not yet revealed if he plans to opt for surgery. An operation on the shoulder could potentially cost Conforto a chunk of the 2018 season.