Lagares set to return from the DL

Juan Lagares’ return date is set — sort of. The Mets outfielder will report to Citi Field on Saturday and will either be activated before the game or prior to Sunday’s contest, after being placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 16 with a partially torn ligament in his left thumb.

“He’s going to play against [Cubs left-hander Jon] Lester on Sunday,” manager Terry Collins said before the Mets trounced the Cubs, 10-2, Friday night.

Lagares has played in four minor-league rehab games with Double-A Binghamton, going 6for-18, and went 2-for-4 on Friday while playing center field.

Lagares could be joined in the lineup this weekend by Curtis Granderson (calf strain). The leadoff man was hopeful he could be back at some point this weekend, and said “right now” he doesn’t believe a trip to the disabled list will happen.

“But we have to see how things go,” Granderson said. “As long as it doesn’t progress, chances looked like I should be good to get a chance to play without any DL time.”

“It’s all going to depend on how everything feels each day. Who knows what [Saturday] or Sunday will be. The big thing, [get] rest right now, try to stay off it as much as possible.”

Granderson said he met with team doctors on Thursday and was told to stay off the calf for two days.

“[Saturday] sometime we might know more,” Collins said.

Granderson said he was planning to throw, hit and receive treatment on the calf on Friday, but wouldn’t run on it. He suffered a similar injury in 2014, his first year with the Mets, and only missed two games.

“Hopefully it will be something very similar to that,” Granderson said.

Jose Reyes remained with Lagares at Double-A Binghamton and played most of a doubleheader. In six at-bats, he had two singles and scored a run, and is now 3-for-23 in seven games. Reliever Jim Henderson, on the 15-day disabled list since June 21 with right bicep tendonitis, began his rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Binghamton, and wasn’t impressive, allowing three earned runs, walking two and giving up a hit in 2/3 of an inning.

Both Collins and Steven Matz said they felt the anti-inflammatory medicine the left-hander took to ease the pain of the bone spur in his left elbow helped ease his mind. It figures to become part of his routine the rest of the year.