Noah Syndergaard, Seth Lugo to pitch minor league games this week

ATLANTA — In what has been an otherwise trash-fire few days full of injuries, setbacks and losses for the Mets, there is finally an update that the team can file as good news.

Noah Syndergaard (Tommy John surgery) and Seth Lugo (right elbow surgery) are both scheduled to begin their first rehab assignments this week. Syndergaard will start on Wednesday for the Low-A St. Lucie Mets and Lugo will pitch an outing Tuesday for St. Lucie.

Syndergaard at this point is already stretched out to five innings. The rehab assignment will be his first opportunity to face live competition against another uniform since he last pitched in 2020 spring training games before his surgery and the COVID-19 shutdown. It’s a positive step in the right direction for his eventual return to the Mets rotation, which is still expected to be in early June.

Lugo was transferred to the 60-day injured list Monday as part of a transactional opportunity for the club rather than a setback in his progress. With outfielder Johneshwy Fargas promoted and starting in center field against the Braves on Monday, the club shifted Lugo to make room on the 40-man roster. The earliest Lugo can now come off the IL is on May 31, which is around the time the Mets expected him to be activated anyway.

Jacob deGrom (right side tightness) showed encouraging signs of improvement after he came out of his Monday touch-and-feel session feeling good. The ace’s next step involves throwing his first bullpen on Tuesday and then providing the Mets with feedback from that side session. Manager Luis Rojas was pleased with deGrom’s progression.

“I thought it was huge that he went out there and he threw off the slope and he felt really good,” Rojas said. “So as soon as he did, he came in and talked to me and gave good feedback.”

DeGrom cannot come off the IL before Friday in Miami. If he is able to be activated for the series opener against the Marlins, the right-hander will have missed just one start on the IL. The team is still considering whether he will need a rehab assignment before returning to the rotation, though.