Mets closer Frank Francisco suffers setback in rehab from elbow injury

Mets closer Frank Francisco is experiencing discomfort in his pitching elbow while recovering from offseason surgery. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

After appearing to be making his way back to the big leagues, New York Mets closer Frank Francisco suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from an elbow injury, according to ESPN.com's Adam Rubin.

The 33-year-old right-hander, who underwent offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow, is once again experiencing inflammation in the same elbow, which he also felt during spring training.

Francisco planned to go to Binghamton to pitch in Double-A this weekend, but instead skipped his bullpen session on Saturday and will see a doctor this week, Mets manager Terry Collins said.

From the report:

"They thought he was making progress, ready to go to Binghamton, and he didn't feel very good so we thought he should see the doctor again. That's what we're going to do," Collins said Sunday before the Mets faced the Pirates. "Now, what the leads to, I have no idea, but we did not have any date etched in stone that we knew he was coming. It's one of those things when you have a guy on the disabled list, you wait until he tells you he's ready to pitch."

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Francisco's 30-day rehab window is set to expire Thursday, and he already had pitched five scoreless innings for the Class A St. Lucie Mets. Francisco last pitched May 8 and had even pitched on back-to-back days.

Francisco is in the second year of a two-year, $12-million deal that he signed before last season. He saved 23 games in 26 opportunities in 2012, posting a 5.53 ERA and 1.61. WHIP.