CONFORTO THIS WEEK?
Conforto may be back as early as Thursday
Michael will be with Mets on Monday, and if all goes well he could be activated off DL and play Thursday
METS fans could realistically see Michael Conforto back on the field as soon as Thursday.
Conforto — who started the season on the disabled list after undergoing surgery in September to repair a torn posterior capsule in his left shoulder — traveled back to New York on Sunday as the Mets fell to the Cardinals, 5-1, at Citi Field. After the loss, manager Mickey Callaway said it’s “possible” Conforto could make his season debut Thursday, when the Mets open up a three-game set against the Nationals in Washington. Thursday is the earliest Conforto is eligible to return from the DL.
If all goes according to plan, Conforto will not need any minor-league rehab games before returning. As of now, the 25-year-old outfielder is slated to take live atbats against lefthander Jason Vargas in a simulated game Monday before the Mets host the Phillies in Queens. Vargas, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Mets in February, also started the season on the 10-day disabled list after fracturing a bone in his non-pitching hand during a minor-league spring training game. He threw a light bullpen on Saturday.
Of course, there’s a chance the simulated game — and the real game, for that matter — is postponed because of the snowstorm forecast to hit New York City Sunday night into Monday.
“We’ll get him to some really good BP going,” Callaway said of Conforto. “Let (hitting coach) Pat Roessler get some eyes on him, make sure he’s ready to go when the time comes.”
Conforto played two major-league spring training games on March 23 and 24 before the Mets broke camp. He started one at DH and played center field in the other, going 1-for-6 with two walks. Last season, Conforto finished second on the Mets in homers (27) and RBI (68) while hitting .279 in 109 games.
His return could create a logjam in the outfield, most notably in center. Juan Lagares and Brandon Nimmo both started games in center field in the first series of the season. Nimmo went 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk out of the leadoff spot on Opening Day. Lagares then smacked five hits (all singles) in nine at-bats in the past two games — an encouraging sign for the defensiveminded outfielder.
“He’s looked great at the plate,” Callaway said of Lagares. “He looks comfortable. He looks confident. He’s covering pitches. He’s not chasing. I’m seeing what we wanted to see out of Juan.”
Nimmo was supposed to start in center Sunday, but he was dealing with flu-like symptoms Saturday night and was too sick to play in the series finale.
Callaway actually sent Nimmo home from the ballpark so he could rest.
It was a missed opportunity for Nimmo, who will almost certainly see his opportunities dwindle with Conforto’s return, especially if Lagares continues to swing a hot bat.