Lagares playing with elbow woes

TORONTO — Juan Lagares is likely playing with ligament damage to his right elbow, the Mets admitted Thursday. It is no secret that the Gold Glove center fielder’s throwing has been limited by an elbow issue this season. It is the same issue that had him shut down early last year with what the team said was a “strain.”

Last month, the Daily News reported that sources close to Lagares confirmed that doctors did discuss elbow surgery with him this winter, but he and the Mets decided on a more conservative route of rest and treatment.

Terry Collins said before Thursday’s series finale with the Blue Jays that there are only two options for Lagares.

“There is only a couple things you can do, one would be to have Tommy John and the other would be to rest it and be careful,” the Mets manager said. Tommy John surgery, of course, is done to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Collins added that former Mets and current Brewer Carlos Gomez “has exactly the same type of thing, if you take care of it, you can play with it. A position player and even some pitchers have.”

While that indicates Lagares has a compromised ligament in his elbow, Sandy Alderson said Thursday that Lagares, who went 1-for-4 with a double in Thursday night’s loss to the Blue Jays, needing surgery was not something that was on his radar right now.

In fact, any discussions of Lagares having surgery were over the winter, a source close to the player said. That was well before Lagares passed a physical exam to sign his contract extension with the Mets this spring. They felt secure enough in his health to lock him up through 2019 for a guaranteed $23 million with a $9.5 million team option after that.

HELLO AGAIN

It came in a roundabout way, but Logan Verrett finally made his Mets debut Thursday night, throwing two perfect relief innings with four strikeouts.

A third-round pick by the Mets in 2011, Verrett was taken by the Orioles in the Rule-5 draft. He was claimed off waivers by the Rangers and made his major league debut with Texas, in four relief appearances with the Rangers.

He was designated for assignment by the Rangers and returned to the Mets per Rule-5 draft rules.

“I thought he threw the ball great,” Collins said. “He threw the ball very good. He had a nice change up, a nice slider. He located his fastball, as good as you can ask anybody to pitch.”

SIGNS

The Mets signed outfielder Desmond Lindsay, the 53rd overall pick in the MLB Draft. They also signed their third-round pick, LHP Max Wotell.