NEW YORK -- Zoned into his preparation for his second at-bat on Thursday, Wilson Ramos did not hear the footsteps coming down the stands behind him. It was not until his wife, Yely, caught his attention that he turned and saw the sign she held: “We’re PREGNANT! Wilson, this is your 3rd CHILD. We LOVE YOU!”

Stunned, Ramos laughed, then took two practice swings and shot another look back to his wife. His four-year-old daughter was also there, yelling, “Another baby! Another baby!”

“I got very surprised,” Ramos said. “I didn’t know that. She kept that secret very well. But I got very excited. It’s another blessing in my life. So I felt really good and really happy in that moment.”

This is not the first such surprise Ramos has received. When his wife was pregnant with the couple’s second child, a son, Yely approached Ramos with a box containing a balloon and the announcement. This time, Yely held the secret for eight weeks before making a public revelation in front of 31,862 fans at Citi Field.

“We’re both happy,” Ramos said. “My daughter’s really happy. So that was a great blessing for my family.”

Of course, it was difficult in the moment for Ramos to focus on his at-bat, a strikeout against Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty. He wanted to “complete the moment” with a home run or at least a hit, but he settled instead for an out that he’ll always remember.

“I don’t like putting another thing in my head when I go to the plate, but that moment made me so excited,” Ramos said. “I tried to hit a homer or do something good. I got a strikeout, nothing good. But I was still happy for the rest of the game.”

Pain in the neck
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo was a late scratch from Triple-A Syracuse’s lineup on Friday due to a reccurrence of neck pain. The Mets have not revealed how long they expect Nimmo, who was recovering from a bulging cervical disk and the effects of whiplash, to remain sidelined.

Originally waking up with a stiff neck on April 16, Nimmo played through varying levels of discomfort for more than a month before a series of medical tests resulted in his diagnosis. Even then, Mets officials publicly referred to his injury only as “inflammation” until Nimmo himself clarified that he has a bulging disk.

He began a rehab assignment last week, appearing in three games for Class A Advanced St. Lucie before graduating to Syracuse. Friday was to be his third game in four days there, until the Mets scratched him.

Roster move
Hector Santiago’s brief run with the Mets came to an end late Friday, when the Mets designated the veteran reliever for assignment, according to a source. Santiago allowed one run in relief in the Mets’ 9-5 loss to the Cardinals, increasing his ERA to 6.75 in eight appearances.

If Santiago stays in the organization, it will have to be via an outright assignment to Triple-A Syracuse, where he started this season. A candidate to break camp in the Mets’ bullpen, he instead stretched out as a starter in Syracuse before earning a promotion in late May. But Santiago, a nine-year veteran of four big league teams, allowed runs in five of his eight appearances for the Mets.

When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.

To replace Santiago, the Mets intend to keep right-hander Tyler Bashlor in their bullpen, the same source said. The Mets had recalled Bashlor earlier Friday as their 26th man due to Thursday’s suspended game.

From the trainer’s room
Reliever Justin Wilson returned to Citi Field on Friday, but only briefly to meet with members of the team’s training staff and front office. Wilson, who has made just one big league appearance since April 19 due to left elbow soreness, expects to make at least one additional rehab outing Saturday at Class A Short-Season Brooklyn. He has already made two for Triple-A Syracuse, striking out four and allowing one run in two innings, and should rejoin the Mets next week.