Montero teeters on edge of Met roster,

PORT ST. LUCIE — If he didn’t earn a spot on the 25-man major league roster, at least Rafael Montero earned a new chance with the Mets this spring. The one-time top prospect, who had pitched his way out of the good graces of the organization over the last two years, has earned praise this spring for rebuilding his body and his approach.

“He’s throwing the ball very well but we haven’t finalized the roster,” Terry Collins said after Montero threw two scoreless innings in the Mets’ 2-2 tie with the Braves at Champions Field. “He throws strikes. We always knew he had the command but he kind of pitched to the edge in the big leagues. Now he’s using the plate and his stuff is playing.”

Montero was once the top prospect in the Mets system, but he struggled to throw strikes. He has been sidelined by that and a shoulder injury that kept him on the disabled list most of 2015. He worked to get stronger this winter, particularly in his shoulders, and this spring he’s shown he is not afraid to throw strikes.

The Mets are strongly considering bringing Montero along when they break camp Thursday to be their long-man in the bullpen. There is another argument within the organization that says he should go to Triple-A and be stretched out to be an emergency starter in case of injury to the rotation. With Steven Matz likely starting the season on the disabled list, the Mets will almost certainly keep Seth Lugo in the big leagues, as a long man or in the rotation. They are also considering bringing Zack Wheeler, who is under a strict innings limit coming back from 2015 Tommy John surgery.

Collins was not giving any hints about roster decisions Wednesday, but it’s obvious Montero is on the bubble.

“We’ve gotta have somebody ready in the minor leagues,” Collins said. “I don’t know who it’s going to be but we need somebody who can come up and give us six or seven innings. Those decisions will be made in the next day or so and certainly he’s in the running to make the club.”

lagares to test strain

Juan Lagares did conditioning drills Wednesday and said that he would test out his strained left oblique muscle with exercises Thursday morning.

“If it feels OK, I will try to hit,” Lagares said.

Collins said they would like to get him into Thursday’s game against the Triple-A club to determine if he is ready to break camp with the Mets.