Mets Receive Good News on Jonathan Villar

The Mets received some promising news on Friday regarding one of their starting position players.

While third baseman Jonathan Villar is out of the Mets' starting lineup for the second straight game, he will be available off the bench tonight, per manager Luis Rojas.

Villar exited Wednesday's matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks due to right hamstring tightness and hasn't played since, as he was unavailable off the bench last night.

His availability off the bench on Friday is a very promising sign, and likely means he will avoid a trip to the IL, barring any re-aggravation. This also means that the Mets will not have to play with a short handed bench for the second straight contest.

According to Rojas, Villar will be reassessed on Saturday, which will determine whether he can re-enter the starting lineup or not.

Villar has been a spark plug for the Mets this season, slashing .241/331/406 with five home runs, 13 RBIs and six stolen bases. He initially served as a key factor off the bench, before filling in as a starter over the past month for the injured J.D. Davis and Guillorme at third. But like Davis and Guillorme, the injury bug eventually bit Villar, as well.

Luckily, it looks like Villar will be OK. However, the Mets are right for being cautious with him after losing Jeff McNeil to a similar scenario last month.