Carrasco strains hamstring; unlikely he starts season on time

PORTST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Mets’ rotation vacancies just went from one to two.

Carlos Carrasco strained his right hamstring Thursday after he pitched one inning of live batting practice, the team announced in a statement. He felt a pull on his hamstring while doing sprints, following his first sim game in 10 days. Carrasco had an MRI, which will determine the next steps of his treatment.

The Mets expect to receive the results of his MRI and learn the severity of his hamstring strain by Thursday evening or Friday morning. With the time Carrasco has already missed in camp, his chances of being ready for the team’s first week of regular-season games are slim.

“It ’s devastating,” Marcus Stroman, who gave up one run over five in nings Thursday in his fourth Grapefruit League start, said of Carrasco’s injury. “Weneed him for the rotation to be elite. I want him in the rotation badly.”

Smith still sitting: Dominic Smith was once again not in the Mets lineup Thursday in their 3-1 loss to the Nationals. He is still considered day-to-day, per Rojas, with what the team is classifying as “general right wrist soreness.” The Mets plan to give Smith the next few days off from swinging the bat, which is what they think caused his soreness.

Noah hits 96: Noah Syndergaard switched it up and pitched his bullpen on the stadium mound Thursday rather than his usual 10-pack routine. Syndergaard, throwing to catcher Tomas Nido, went through his side session without any setbacks and frequently paused to receive direction from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. Syndergaard’s fastball velocity touched 96 mph, per Rojas. The righthander, who has not publicly spoken to reporters, is more than a year removed from his Tommy John surgery which took place after the Mets broke camp due to the coronavirus pandemic last March.