Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided a handful of injury updates prior to Tuesday night's game against the Padres…
Jesse Winker hasn’t resumed activities
Winker has been stretching and doing exercises, but he still hasn't resumed baseball activities.
The lefty hitting DH/OF, of course, has been sidelined due to ongoing back discomfort.
Mendoza said that he isn't close to taking that next step in his road to recovery, but the team still expects he'll be able to return before the end of the season.
"That's what the trainers are telling us, we just have to wait," the skipper noted.
Winker was making his return from an IL stint when he felt the tightness during an AB against the Orioles.
He's been sidelined for about three weeks now and doesn't appear close to a return.
Prior to his absence, he had eight extra-base hits and a .709 OPS through just 26 appearances.
Drew Smith down in PSL
We haven't heard much about Smith since he re-signed with the club this offseason.
The righty has been slowly progressing his way back after undergoing season-ending surgery last June.
He's currently down at the team's facility in Port St. Lucie, going through his bullpen progression.
Smith told reporters in May that he was hopeful for a potential late-season return to the Mets' bullpen, but it remains to be seen if that'll be the case.
Even if he's unable to make his way back, his new pact does have a team option for next season.
The 31-year-old has a 3.48 ERA and 1.27 WHIP across 191 career appearances.
Blackburn to make another rehab appearance
Paul Blackburn won't be rejoining the Mets just yet.
Mendoza revealed that the team has decided to give him one more rehab appearance, Saturday in Syracuse.
The right-hander looked good during his most recent outing at the same level.
He earned the win as he stretched out to 87 pitches and allowed just one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six batters across 6.1 innings of work.
That brought his ERA to an impressive 1.59 over his two appearances down in Triple-A.
The Mets have been stretching him out as a starter, but it remains to be seen exactly what his role will be when he eventually makes his return to the big league level.
With off days in the schedule, the team won't require a sixth starter until the middle of August.
Tylor Megill getting close to facing hitters
Megill has been working his way back from an elbow sprain, but he appears to be closing on the next step.
The right-hander will throw another two-inning up-and-down bullpen session on Wednesday
Depending on how he recovers from that, Mendoza says he could progress to facing live batters afterwards.
Since Megill was moved to the 60-day IL on July 8, he isn't eligible to be activated until mid-August.
He was in the midst of another up-and-down season prior to the injury, pitching to a 3.95 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 14 starts.
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