Tricky finger

Lagares has torn ligament in thumb

PITTSBURGH — Juan Lagares’ sore left thumb is more than sprained.

A day after a preliminary diagnosis indicated the Mets outfielder has a sprain to the thumb he injured diving for a ball in the outfield Saturday in Miami, an MRI exam revealed a partially torn ligament.

But Lagares isn’t necessarily headed to the disabled list.

The team will wait until the swelling subsides in the thumb, according to assistant general manager John Ricco, and then determine if Lagares can play through the injury.

“There’s a good chance he will be able to play with it,” Ricco said before the Mets’ game against the Pirates was postponed because of rain. “But we won’t know that until some of the swelling gets out of there and he gets a chance to see how he feels.”

Manager Terry Collins is pre- pared to play short-handed on the bench for the next few days, leaving the door open for Lagares’ possible return.

Collins indicated he could use Lagares as a pinch runner if needed before then and possibly as a defensive replacement.

If Lagares can play through the injury, he would likely undergo surgery to repair the ligament after the season, according to Ricco.

Yoenis Cespedes was set to return to the lineup after missing the previous two starts with a sore right hip. Cespedes had appeared in Sunday’s game as a pinch hitter.

Neil Walker, returning to PNC Park for the first time since he was traded to the Mets from the Pirates, received an ovation upon emerging from the dugout for pregame stretch. The ovation came from dozens of ballpark employees seated behind the dugout. Michael Conforto was scheduled to hit seventh in the lineup for the second time on the road trip. Conforto had an important RBI single Saturday against the Marlins, but entered play in a 3-for-33 (.111) slump since May 24.

The Mets went 0-6 against the Pirates last year. It marked the first time in franchise history the Mets were swept in a season series by the Pirates.