It wouldn’t be an unreasonable statement to say that the New York Mets’ season ended on April 30th, when ace Noah Syndergaard walked off the mound in Washington with a partially torn lat muscle. That injury has sidelined Syndergaard since then, and the Mets have completely floundered without him, going 43-50 since then to completely fall out of the playoff picture. Syndergaard’s recovery from the injury has been slow, but he is making progress towards a return before the end of the season, including throwing off the mound yesterday for the first time since the injury.
After the session Syndergaard told reporters that he doesn’t want to shut himself down for the season, John Harper of the New York Daily News reports. Syndergaard emphasized how important it was to him to compete this season, whether it be in the rotation or bullpen, than simply not pitch against big league hitters for 8-9 months. The Mets will surely bring Syndergaard along slowly with the goal of letting him make a few starts before the end of the season, which could be important for him to lose some rust from the lengthy absence. Syndergaard has changed his training routine to try and prevent further injury problems, but getting back on the mound would be a moral victory for both him and the Mets in a lost season. The earliest that Syndergaard would likely come back is in mid-September, but even if he only makes a start or two it could be a huge help for the Mets next season.
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