Mets' Noah Syndergaard Looks Sharp In First Rehab Outing

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard is nearing a return to the big-league club.

And on Wednesday, he made his first scheduled rehab outing for Triple-A Syracuse and looked sharp against the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Syndergaard a postseason tournament game for Syracuse, and worked a 1-2-3 inning on 11 pitches (seven strikes). The right-hander induced two groundouts and a fly out, while facing two players who have appeared in the majors with the Yankees in Miguel Andujar and Chris Gittens.

.@Noahsyndergaard’s night is done after delivering a 1-2-3 inning in his rehab start.

11 pitches, 7 strikes ⚡️💪 pic.twitter.com/4Wy6Q8ICZg
— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) September 22, 2021

Syndergaard's fastball velocity hit 95 mph on the radar gun, which is a great sign, considering he was in the lower 90's during his previous two live bullpen sessions at Citi Field.

According to Mets manager Luis Rojas, the plan is for Syndergaard to toss one more rehab outing before being activated.

As far as how much rest he will need until his second-and-final appearance, Rojas said he should get 2-3 days between outings.

This puts Syndergaard on track to return to the Mets when they come back to Queens to face the Miami Marlins on September 28 for their final home stand of the season.

Syndergaard has not pitched in the major since September 2019, and he is expected to be used as a reliever when he rejoins the team.

Although there are only 10 games left in the regular season, Syndergaard's return will be a major accomplishment, given the fact that he has missed two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of 2020.

Now, he is one step away from achieving this milestone, before he hits the free agent market this winter for the first time in his career.