MIKE’S OUT

Mets put Conforto on IL with tight hammy, bringing his season to an end

Michael Conforto’s 2020 season ended Thursday, before the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Nationals, as the rightfielder went on the 10-day injured list with left hamstring tightness.

He first flagged the discomfort on Sunday, after the Mets’ 7-0 loss to the Braves, which caused him to miss two games. Conforto returned to the lineup Wednesday as designated hitter and re-aggravated his tight hamstring while running out a ground ball in the team’s 8-5 loss to the Rays.

“He had a great regular season,” skipper Luis Rojas said. “Offensively, his numbers are there. He was unbelievable.”

The Mets (2631) received David Peterson’s longest outing of the year to help spur their seriesopening win. The Amazin’s avoided being mathematically disqualified from postseason contention, but they’re still 2.5 games behind a wild-card spot with three games to go. The rookie left-hander hurled seven innings of one-run ball in his ninth and final start of the season. He allowed just four hits to the Nationals and lowered his season ERA to 3.44.

Peterson went 6-2 in 2020 to become the winningest pitcher on a team that included Jacob deGrom (4-2, 2.14 ERA).

“I love to compete,” Peterson said. “I want to go out there every five days and give the team a quality start, go deep into ballgames and put the team in a position to win. That’s one of the biggest things is that I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that I belong up here.”

For his part, Conforto enjoyed a terrific season for the Mets.

He slashed .322/.412/.515 with a .927 OPS, nine home runs, 31 RBI, 12 doubles, 24 walks and 40 runs scored in 54 games. Conforto showed off his glove with a handful of leaping and diving plays in right field, too

“Off the field too, Michael is one of the leaders in that clubhouse,” Rojas said. “His love for this organization, his love for that group in there, I think he grew even more this year with everything that he did.”

Conforto was arguably the MVP for the Mets this year and fans are imploring Steve Cohen, who is set to take over if approved by the league’s owners, to offer him a contract extension. Conforto hits free agency after the 2021 season and his impressive year is expected to grant him a big pay day.

This season was Conforto’s sixth year in the major leagues since being drafted in 2014 by former Mets GM Sandy Alderson, who is expected to become team president under Cohen. Alderson would take over all baseball operations, Cohen announced Thursday, and that could impact Conforto’s potential extension.

“I’m proud of some of the things I’ve been able to do here for sure,” Conforto said on Wednesday. “I think it was a step in the right direction. But like I said before, I’m looking forward to doing it over a 162game season.”

Peterson also figures to play an important role on the Mets next year. The 25-year-old completed an impressive debut in the big leagues and it’d be surprising if he didn’t join the team’s 2021 rotation given how many question marks the club still must answer. Jacob deGrom will be the Amazin’s ace, but Noah Syndergaard won’t fully recover from Tommy John surgery in time for Opening Day. Peterson has a solid chance of becoming the Mets’ No. 2 starter to start the 2021 season.

“It’s been a good experience for me,” Peterson said. “I love to compete and it’s been fun.”