Mets Hope 3rd Time's The Charm For Noah Syndergaard

NEW YORK- Noah Syndergaard faced live hitters at Citi Field on Sunday prior to the Mets' series finale with the Phillies.

For Syndergaard, this was the second time he faced batters this week, and according to Mets manager Luis Rojas, the right-hander threw 15-20 pitches and his velocity sat in the low-90's again.

Here's Noah Syndergaard throwing his live BP at Citi Field today. pic.twitter.com/vF6VQx07Ma
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 19, 2021

As Rojas also said, the Mets are still debating whether the next step will be to activate Syndergaard to the big-league roster or send him back out on a rehab assignment.

However, Newsday reported earlier this afternoon that the Mets plan to send Syndergaard out on a rehab assignment this week, where he will toss multiple outings.

This scenario would put him on track to then be able to rejoin the Mets for their weekend series with the Brewers in Milwaukee. If not, he should be back with the big-league club by the time they return home to face the Marlins early next week.

Syndergaard has not pitched in the majors since September 2019, after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He has already endured two separate rehab assignments this season, but ran into bumps in the road each time.

He suffered a setback of elbow inflammation in his second rehab start on May 27, which shut him down from throwing until late-June.

According to Syndergaard, he believes this issue came from throwing his slider and curveball, given the torque it put on his recovering elbow. Now, he has decided to throw only a diet of fastballs and changeups when he does return to the Mets.

This information was revealed by the right-hander following the first outing of his second rehab stint on August 26. Unfortunately, he tested positive for COVID-19 before making his second appearance three days later.

The Mets are hoping that the third time will be the charm for Syndergaard, who could potentially be starting his third rehab assignment this season.

Upon his activation, Syndergaard is expected to pitch out of the Mets' bullpen since he is not fully stretched out. Syndergaard is set to become a free agent after the 2021 season.